Television was by far one of the most exciting inventions of the 20th century, and it turns out the world has Idaho to thank for it…sort of. The small town of Rigby, Idaho is considered the official birthplace of television, as it was here that inventor Philo T. Farnsworth came up with his idea of an electronic television system. Today, the small town proudly boasts its title on a welcome sign at the town’s entrance, and they even boast a museum where you can learn all about Philo and his contributions to bringing the electronic television to life.
One of the greatest pioneers of television technology was a humble farm boy from small town Idaho, and his legacy lives on to this day. The quaint community of Rigby may not be super well-known to most, but it's the official birthplace of television and it's worth knowing about.
The prominent American inventor and television pioneer named Philo T. Farnsworth contributed a lot to the world during his lifetime. All in all, Farnsworth held 300 patents to mostly radio and television-based devices, but he was most well-known for inventing the first all-electronic television system in 1927.
Farnsworth lived the first 12 years of his life in Beaver, Utah before moving to the town of Rigby, Idaho in 1918. Although his family moved back to Utah just five years later, it was in Rigby that Farnsworth truly found his footing in chemistry and physics, and it was at Rigby High School that he came up with plans for an electric television.
Farnsworth's invention of the first fully functional electronic television wouldn't fully come to life until 1927 (by this time he was living in San Francisco) but Rigby will always be the place where the spark for this idea was born. And the town won't let you forget it! Today, it proudly boasts "The Birthplace of Television" on its welcome sign.
The town is even home to the Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum which is dedicated to telling the inventor's story from the very start. It's here that visitors can gaze at a massive collection of old TV tubes, a bronze bust of Farnsworth himself, and some of his personal items and awards.
The museum contains all sorts of interesting oddities concerning inventions from past eras, but a good chunk of it is dedicated to information on Farnsworth and how he came up with his brilliant ideas. They say that inspiration struck Farnsworth when he was plowing a potato field, as the parallel rows of spuds gave him the idea of television scan lines.
If it weren't for a potato field in the small town of Rigby, there's no telling what our television technology would look like today. The next time you settle down in front of your TV, be sure to think of the Idahoan that made it all possible!
Did you know that Idaho was the birthplace of television? There’s no telling what television would look like today without this Idahoan’s contribution! Check out another iconic Gem State invention when you read The Bizarre Story Of How Idaho Invented The Chairlift.
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