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Lee de Forest

Biography

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Interesting Lee De Forest Facts

 

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A small bit of Radio History, Lee De Forest Audion, Marconi

 

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1939 Hollywood American Inventor Lee De Forest In His Laboratory (Silent)

 

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Lee de Forest Band, 1920's - Film 121

 

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Lee Deforest First Sound of Movies excerpt

Lee de Forest was an American inventor, self-described "Father of Radio", and a pioneer in the development of sound-on-film recording used for motion pictures. He had over 180 patents, but also a tumultuous career—he boasted that he made, then lost, four fortunes. He was also involved in several major patent lawsuits, spent a substantial part of his income on legal bills, and was even tried for mail fraud. His most famous invention, in 1906, was the three-element "Audion" (triode) vacuum tube, the first practical amplification device. Although De Forest had only a limited understanding of how it worked, it was the foundation of the field of electronics, making possible radio broadcasting, long distance telephone lines, and talking motion pictures, among countless other applications.