941
Farnsworth's Green Street Lab
- Group 3
- NW corner of Sansome and Green Sts, San Francisco
- View Map
Philo T. Farnsworth was born on August 19, 1906 in Beaver, Utah. He was a scientific prodigy and inventor who was concerned with the problems associated with television. At age 16 he was accepted as a special student by Brigham Young University; he was still officially in high school at the time. Unfortunately he had to drop out of BYU in order to help support his family. In 1926 he convinced two wealthy investors to form a partnership with him in order to develop his scheme to produce a viable TV system. He married and moved to Los Angeles to work on his project.
Needing further capital he obtained a substantial investment from a San Francisco financial institution, which also provided him with the Green Street lab. He moved to The City and there, on September 17, 1927, the event commemorated on the plaque occurred.
He quickly obtained patents for his invention. In 1930 RCA offered Farnsworth $100,000 for his work. He rejected the offer and eventually sought to form his own company. Years of struggle and travail in business led to a nervous breakdown. His television interests were ultimately absorbed by IT&T.
Farnsworth’s later years were devoted to research on nuclear fusion. Needless to say he was unsuccessful in producing a fusion device.
Plaque
Inscription
In a simple laboratory on this site, 202 Green Street, Philo Taylor Farnsworth, U.S. pioneer in electronics, invented and patented the first operational all-electronic television system.
On September 7, 1927 the 21-year-old inventor and several dedicated assistants successfully transmitted the first all-electronic television image, the major breakthrough that brought the practical form of this invention to mankind. Further patents formulated here covered the basic concepts essential to modern television. The Genius of Green Street, as he was known, died in 1971.
Year Dedicated
1981
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