Vladimir Kozmich Zworykin, one of the founders of modern television, is more often remembered as an American engineer born in Russia. He made an invaluable contribution to the development of television technology.
The biography of Vladimir Kozmich began in the ancient city of Murom in 1888. The boy was born on July 17 (30) in the family of a merchant of the first guild. Kozma Zvorykin traded in grain, owned the Murom public bank and the company "Shipping company on the Oka Zvorykin"
The road to achievement
There were seven children in the family, Vladimir became the youngest. The head of the family placed his hopes on him, the second son, to continue the business. The elder brother Nikolai was not interested in business. He was fascinated by physics. The young man became a student of the famous scientist Alexander Stoletov. The uncle of the future inventor Konstantin Alekseevich also gained fame for the theory of cutting metals.
From childhood, the father introduced the intelligent child to the case. But Vladimir office books with the movement of capital turned out to be useless. He was fascinated by ship technology. He repaired signals on steamers, installed electric bells, which he collected himself. The future inventor received his secondary education in a real local school until 1906.
The graduate moved to St. Petersburg to continue his education at the university. The father advised his son to the Institute of Technology. It was taught by Professor Rosing, who is engaged in experiments in the transmission of images over a distance. Vladimir also became interested in new theories. He spent a lot of time in the laboratory and became Rosing's loyal assistant.
After a brilliant completion of his studies in 1912, Zvorykin became a process engineer. He decided to continue his education in France. The professor recommended the College de France to him. The famous scientist Paul Langevin became the teacher of the talented student. He considered mechanical television to be the most promising direction. The sun's rays were passed through a special disk.
The light hit the photocells, an image was formed. The problem of picture clarity remained, and quality was determined by the number of holes on the disc. Electronic television has been recognized as a highly controversial target. It took a very long time to achieve signal amplification. After the demonstration of the invention by Rosing, impressed by what he saw, Zworykin turned into a supporter of far-sightedness.
The professor received a gold medal from the Technical Society of Russia for his work. The First World Won interrupted his studies abroad. Immediately after his return, the young scientist was drafted into the army. Grodno was sent to serve him. A year and a half later, Zvorykin was transferred to the Petrograd radio school for officers. In the new place, Vladimir Kozmich continued his scientific activities.
Scientific achievements
After the changes that began, the inventor remained in Moscow. Then he moved to Omsk. There he was instructed to equip a powerful radio station. In 1918 Zvorykin went to America to buy equipment. There he stayed after several visits. Vladimir Kozmich got a job in the research laboratory of the Westinghouse company in Pittsburgh. He continued to develop the transmission of pictures at a distance.
In 1923, the first electronic inoscope tube was created. However, the image she gave was so bad that the author himself called the invention "television". A year later, a kinescope receiving tube was created. In 1924 Vladimir Kuzmich entered the University of Pittsburgh. Two years later, the scientist received his doctorate. In 1928, the RCA company, headed by David Sarnoff, began to finance his work.
A year later, a vacuum receiving telescope was developed. Zvorykin created and other elements of television equipment for transmitting images. He decomposed the light beam into several colors, creating the basis for color television. All inventions were used in the first television broadcasts in the USA since 1936. The scientist received national recognition.
The developer was invited to lecture and advise in many countries around the world. In 1938, a TV broadcasting center was built, and the production of the first television sets began. In 1944, Vladimir Kozmich created a night vision device, aerial bombs with television guidance. After the war, the scientist came to the Soviet Union, gave lectures, visited his hometown, and met with relatives.
Since the early fifties, Zvorykin has been conducting fundamental research in the field of teletechnology. He applied electronics in meteorology, medicine, optics. The scientist headed the International Association of Medelectronics and Biotechnics, the Center for Medelectronics at the Rockefeller Institute.
Science and family
With the participation of Zvorykin, electronic equipment for medicine, microscopes, radio probes, endoscopes have been developed. Vladimir Kozmich received over a hundred patents for his inventions. Zvorykin's name is listed on the National American Inventors' Gallery of Fame.
The outstanding scientist has created more than eight dozen scientific works, one hundred laureates of numerous prizes and awards, including the US National Medal of Science and the French Order of the Legion of Honor.
In 1916, the inventor became the husband of Tatyana Vasilyeva, a student at the dental school. In 1919 his wife came to him in America. A year later, the family had a child, daughter Nina. Elena was born seven years later. The couple separated in 1930.
The inventor decided to re-establish his personal life in 1951. He married Ekaterina Andreevna Polevitskaya, professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania.
They were familiar before. Both were already accomplished people in their sixties. The couple turned out to be surprisingly harmonious. They lived together for three decades. The great scientist passed away in 1982.
