John Logie Baird

John Logie Baird (born August 13, 1888, Helensburgh, Dunbarton, Scotland—died June 14, 1946, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, England) was a Scottish engineer, the first man to televise pictures of objects in motion. His invention, known as the “Televisor,” was shown to the public on January 26, 1926, and is considered the first demonstration of television.

Educated at Larchfield Academy, the Royal Technical College, and the University of Glasgow, Baird produced televised objects in outline in 1924, transmitted recognizable human faces in 1925, and demonstrated the televising of moving objects in 1926 at the Royal Institution, London. He named the machine the “Televisor.” The German post office gave him facilities to develop a television service in 1929. When the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television service began in 1936, his system was in competition with one promoted by Marconi Electric and Musical Industries, and in February 1937 the BBC adopted the Marconi EMI system exclusively. Baird demonstrated color television in 1928 and was reported to have completed his researches on stereoscopic television in 1946.