Philo T. Farnsworth has been called the forgotten father of television. Those who knew him said he was a genius from birth. At the age of 13, he won a prize offered by the Science and Invention magazine for developing a thief-proof automobile ignition switch. Most remarkable from his high school experience was the diagram he drew for his chemistry teacher. This drawing established the pattern for his later experiments in electronics and was instrumental in Farnsworth winning a patent interference case pitting him against Ra­ dio Corporation of America (RCA). Farnsworth's work spanned the continent. His first laboratories were in his Hollywood home; later he and his family moved to San Francisco, Philadelphia, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1926 he established his first corporation, in San Francisco, Everson Gorrell and Farnsworth Inc. The first patents for the Farnsworth television system were filed in January 1927. In 1929 the corporation became Television Laboratories Incorporated. Among the first television images created from the Farnsworth system were laboratory smoke, a single dimension line, and a dollar sign printed on glass. The first woman to appear on television was Elma G. Farnsworth, Philo's wife. Her photograph was transmitted in the San Francisco Green Street laboratory on September 19, 1929.

     In 1931 Farnsworth moved to Philadelphia to establish a television department for Philco. By 1933 Philco decided that television patent research was no longer a part of its corporate vision, and Farnsworth created Farnsworth Television Inc. In August 1934 this company provided the world's first public demonstration of an all-electronic television system, which ran for ten days at the Philadelphia Franklin Institute. In 1938 Farnsworth established the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation. This research and manufacturing company created defense technology throughout World War II and was later purchased by the International Telephone and Telegraph Company (IT&T), which still stands in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Farnsworth's work for AT&T included both television and nuclear fusion.

     In December 1938 Farnsworth moved to Salt Lake City to organize his last venture: Philo T. Farnsworth and Associates. Its purpose was to continue the work he started at IT&T on fusion, which was expected to be an inexpensive alternative energy source. This work ended at this death.

     Farnsworth was an independent experimenter, a charismatic scientist, an idea person who was able to initiate ideas and convince investors. However, his primary focus was always in the laboratory. He was a workaholic and often left the business, investment, and management responsibilities of his corporations to others as his experiments continued. He was so immersed in his inventions that he reportedly would forget to eat. His health proved to be a challenge throughout his life.

     Farnsworth's wife worked constantly at his side and helped maintain his health. She worked in the earliest labs as a technician and a bookkeeper. Farnsworth himself said, "my wife and I started television." After he died, it was his wife who worked to ensure he was recognized for his inventions and his place in history. In many ways, Farnsworth's posthumous awards recognize the bygone era of independent inventors that he represented. He was the recipient of numerous awards from scientific and honors societies, and a 1983 U.S. postage stamp commemorates the inventor. In 1981 a historical marker was placed on the San Francisco Green Street building where the first Farnsworth television image was projected. In 1990 a statue was dedicated in Washington's Statuary Hall: the inscription reads "Philo Taylor Farnsworth: Inventor of Television."