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Originally Posted by LukeSimon
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The dispute is historic. I think they both simultaneously invented electronic TV, but Zworykin accomplished much more... and Zworykin's book is amazing. If Farnsworth wrote a textbook on TV, I'd read it too. If it helps spark more controversy, I will repeat that RCA was the top TV company in the golden age of television. Zenith made amazing TVs, no doubt, but RCA provided more technological leadership.
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Farnsworth was definitely first in inventing the camera and tube by 5 years. Zworykin couldn’t get his image orthocon to work so Snaroff sent Zworykin on a spy mission to Farnsworth’s lab. Zworykin tried to reverse engineer the image dissector at RCA from notes he took while visiting Farnsworth. It didn’t work. Then Snaoff payed visit to Farnsworth and tried to buy him out. That didn’t work, so Sarnoff unleashed his high power lawyers in a 7 year court battle and Sarnoff lost. The crucial point was when Farnsworth was a boy of 14 he drew this theory of camera and tube scanning electrons for electronic television on a blackboard for his science teacher. The teacher was so impressed, he preserved the drawings and presented them in court. This showed the inventions were conceived when Farnsworh was 14. Farnsworth created working electronic television by 1927 in a demonstration to his colleagues. The first public demonstration was 1934 at the Franklin museum in Philadelphia 5 years ahead of of Snaroff’s 1939 demonstration.
When Sarnoff lost his 7 year court battle with Farnsworth, it was the first time he had to pay patent royalty fees and cross licensing fees to his competitors. This was his mode of operation, and did the same to Westinghouse, Philco and Akein. The government was chasing Snaroff for 39 years for violating anti trust laws and finally in 1958 RCA has to release all their color television information to their competitors to avoid a monopoly.
Snaroff operated heavy handed as a bully, but I agree, after Sarnoff destroyed Farnsworth and became king of the hill, RCA spent millions to promote and develop color television more than any other.
There is a statue of Farnsworth at statuary hall in the Capital. Farnsworth was inducted posthumously into the Academy of arts and sciences in 2003 and in 2013 Pem Farnsworth accepted posthumously, an academy award for the inventions of the image dissector and electronic television. Ironically, Sarnoff’s son was in attendance.