John Logie Baird

John Logie Baird
FRSE
Baird in 1917
Born(1888-08-13)13 August 1888
Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Died14 June 1946(1946-06-14) (aged 57)
Bexhill, Sussex, England
Resting placeBaird family grave in Helensburgh Cemetery
EducationLarchfield Academy, Helensburgh
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Inventor
  • Entrepreneur
Organizations
  • Consulting technical adviser, Cable & Wireless Ltd (from 1941)
  • Director, John Logie Baird Ltd
  • Director, Capital and Provincial Cinemas Ltd
Known forThe world's first working television system, including the first colour television
Spouse
Margaret Albu
​
(m. 1931)​
Children2
Awards

John Logie Baird FRSE (/ˈloʊɡi bɛərd/;[1] 13 August 1888 – 14 June 1946) was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world's first live working television system on 26 January 1926.[2][3][4] He went on to invent the first publicly demonstrated colour television system and the first viable purely electronic colour television picture tube.[5][6]

In 1928 the Baird Television Development Company achieved the first transatlantic television transmission.[5] Baird's early technological successes and his role in the practical introduction of broadcast television for home entertainment have earned him a prominent place in television's history.

In 2006, Baird was named as one of the 10 greatest Scottish scientists in history, having been listed in the National Library of Scotland's 'Scottish Science Hall of Fame'.[7] In 2015 he was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame.[8] In 2017, IEEE unveiled a bronze street plaque at 22 Frith Street (Bar Italia), London, dedicated to Baird and the invention of television.[9] In 2021, the Royal Mint unveiled a John Logie Baird 50p coin commemorating the 75th anniversary of his death.[10]

  1. ^ "Baird": Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition.
  2. ^ "The "Televisor" Successful Test of New Apparatus", The Times (London), Thursday 28 January 1926, p. 9 column C.
  3. ^ "Who invented the television? How people reacted to John Logie Baird's creation 90 years ago". The Telegraph. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Who invented the mechanical television? (John Logie Baird)". Google. 26 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Historical Figures was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Abramson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "John Logie Baird was voted the second most popular Scottish scientist". Scottish Science Hall of Fame. National Library of Scotland. 2009. Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  8. ^ "2015 Inductee: John Logie Baird". Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 October 2015
  9. ^ "IEEE Milestone Celebration" – The Evolution of Television from Baird to the Digital Age. Retrieved 1 August 2020
  10. ^ "John Logie Baird | the Royal Mint".