Popular Science: 100 years ago, the battle for television raged

From my What a Difference a Century Makes—or Not column on Pop Sci

How fire and rivalry shaped broadcasting's debut.

Television’s broadcast debut in 1936 unfolded like a plot made for the medium itself—complete with bitter competition, intrigue, celebration, and devastating setbacks. The story reached its climax when a fire at London’s Crystal Palace destroyed parts of television inventor John Logie Baird’s research laboratory on November 30, 1936. The timing could not have been worse. Baird was locked in a high-stakes showdown with his deep-pocketed rival, Electric and Musical Industries (EMI), who had partnered with wireless pioneer Guglielmo Marconi and the American radio giant RCA-Victor....

100 years ago, the battle for TV raged

Many thanks to Annie Colbert, Popular Science Editor-in-Chief.

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