Vladimir Kosma Zworykin was born on July 29, 1888, in Murom, Russia. He attended the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology, where he studied electrical engineering under the tutelage of Boris Roslng. They worked together in secret on Rosing’s “electrical telescopy” the precursor of television. Professor Rosing filed his first patent a a television system in 1907 in which he designed a cathode ray tube as a receiver. Upon completing his undergraduate studies in 1912, Vladimir he traveled to Paris where he studied X-rays under the mentorship of Paul Langevin. However, his studies were interrupted by World War I when he was conscripted into the Russian Signal Corps.
In 1918, escaping from the Russian Civil War, Zworykin emigrated to the United States to pursue a career in electrical engineering. He joined the Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1919 where he conducted research in the field of television technology. Zworykin filed for television patents in 1923 and 1925. A dissertation outlining methods for improving the output of photoelectric cells earned him a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1926.
Zworykin is best known for his work on the development of the iconoscope, the first practical television camera tube. He filed a patent for the iconoscope in 1933. This invention marked a significant advancement in television technology, allowing for the conversion of images into electrical signals for transmission and display.
In addition to the iconoscope, Zworykin also worked on other television components, including the kinescope, a cathode-ray tube used for displaying television images, and the orthicon, another type of television camera tube. His contributions played a crucial role in the commercialization of television. His work at RCA (Radio Corporation of America) that began in 1932 led to the development of electronic television systems that eventually replaced earlier mechanical television technologies.
Throughout his career, Zworykin received numerous honors and awards, including the National Medal of Science in 1966. He was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1976. Vladimir Zworykin passed away on his 94th birthday, July 29, 1982, in Princeton, New Jersey, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking inventions and innovations in the field of television technology that have had a profound impact on modern communication and entertainment.
