STORY OF THE BOY WHO INVENTED TELEVISION

This week’s segment of “Boy Inventor” is taken from a book titled, Distant Vision by Philo’s wife, Pem Farnsworth, we ended last week’s episode with…”I’ve got Einstein on the phone, and he’d be delighted to talk to Phil Farnsworth.”

The better part of an hour later, Phil reappeared, his face aglow from the excitement of finding someone who understood what he was talking about. He said, Dr. Einstein had told him his own thoughts had been going in that direction at one time. However, he strongly encouraged Phil to formalize and publish his math and pursue his ideas of harnessing the atom for peaceful uses. He said that after the bomb, producing controlled fusion would yield the beneficial side of his work.

This conversation was a turning point for Phil in more ways than one. Not only did Dr. Einstein confirm for him that his original conceptions were viable, it was a great psychological relief to find another human being who shared his unique perspective. Talking with Dr. Einstein provided the boost for his self-confidence that can come only from finding a fellow traveler in the rarefied regions of the physical universe where his mind now dwelt. Phil resolved to refine his ideas and consolidate his math so that he could go back to Professor Einstein for further confirmation once he was more certain of the results. But it was not until 1953 that another piece of the fusion puzzle forming in Phil’s mind fell into place.

In the summer of 1953, we took the entire family, on a vacation to the Uintah Mountains in North Eastern Utah. Driving from Fort Wayne, IN to Utah in the days before interstate thruways was slow and not all that pleasant. On the afternoon of the second day, I was driving with Phil sitting in the front seat and four-year-old Kent seated between us. Not a word had been spoken for some time, and I thought they were all sleeping.

Riding in a car seemed to activate Phil’s thought processes. Several times when he had a particularly difficult problem, he would ask me to drive him on a thruway at night when traffic was light.

Sometimes Phil would discuss his ideas with me, but he had taken a colossal step ahead of me with fusion, and about all I could contribute was to be a good sounding board, and I was well qualified for that. When left to my own thoughts, I often wondered about other people in other cars. What kind of drama was being carried along in this or that automobile? What would they think if they knew the magnitude of the ideas given birth on these quiet rides with Phil?

Suddenly, Phil bolted upright, as though he had been stuck with a pin. Excitedly throwing his hands in the air, he shouted, “I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” The air crackled with energy. To be continued…