DeForest- Father of the Electronic Revolution
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The Tube That Changed the World How the Vast New Electronics Industry Came to be Born
Unwittingly, DeForest discovered an INVISIBLE EMPIRE OF THE AIR, intangible, yet solid as granite, whose structure shall persist while man inhabit the planets; a global organism, imponderable yet most substantial, both mundane and empyreal; fading not as the years, the centuries fade away - an electronic fabric influencing all our thinking, making our living more noble.
What DeForest held in his hand in early October, 1906, was the world's only supply of the three-electrode vacuum tubes. In testing the Audions, DeForest found faint impulses sounded many times louder in the headphones than any wireless signal ever heard before. Realizing that his invention held in his hand, was the long-sought Aladdin's lamp for a new world; a lamp which when rubbed by the hands of gifted engineers, would swiftly summon a gigantic genii to do (their) bidding, and all but remake the world.
The DeForest Audion Vacuum Tube Amplifier, decades later, was but a tiny acorn at its birth which in time grew a mighty oak with branches spreading to the farthest corners of the earth and even into the vastness of intersteller space, radiating worldwide communication from its trunk by voice and code; reaching through darkened skies guiding aviators safely; like homing pigeons to its boughs guided by radar and sonar echoes. Man have fashioned great boughs of this tree into strange shape of weapons, mighty cudgels with which to fight wars and direct rockets, robot planes, and other missiles to their targets.
From its branches have fallen billions of little 'acorns' and countless improved varieties of that primal one from which the great tree sprouted. With the magical Electron Tube, the engineer could command electrons to do his bidding. The Electron Tube enabled the scientist to split the atom and measure the heat from stars infinitely distant, extending boundlessly man's knowledge of his universe. The Thermionic tube was put to work in a thousand industries. Electronic devices now control the way we live and the way we think.
The DeForest Vacuum Tube Amplifier he invented in 1906 gave birth to the ELECTRONIC REVOLUTION which the world now enjoys. DeForest is the Father of the Electronic Revolution and discoverer of an INVISIBLE EMPIRE OF THE AIR.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
DeForest-Father of the Electronic Revolution is a 500 page documentary in print on behalf of, and, on the life and work of Eminent Scientist-Inventor, Lee DeForest (1873-1961).
Twenty-five years of extensive research uncovered suppressed evidence contrary to written history books, articles, and film presentations demeaning DeForest's vital accomplishment and scientific contributions. Self-serving published writings by others over the last half of the twentieth century. DeForest-Father of the Electronic Revolution compiled and written by this author, was a crusading attempt to finally establish long overdue recognition of how the vast new electronics industry was born and how the 1906 DeForest invention of the electron tube amplifier changed the world and established, for the first time, a new motion picture history of record whereas DeForest's invention of electronically recorded sound directly-on-film was a fact patented in 1920 for the first time followed by a full production schedule of sound film projects premiered at major movie theatres in 1923. Thereby establishing that there were two scientists who gave birth to the modern motion picture; Edison for picture, DeForest for sound.
DeForest-Father of the Electronic Revolution brings forth, revives and perpetuates a new knowledge as never before. Thereby providing future historians and the public a definitive works for the new millennium. What DeForest, who, at the turn of the century was known as the 'Wireless Wizard,' discovered in his Electron Tube Amplifier, was a vast EMPIRE OF THE AIR creating the birth of modern electronics the world now enjoys.
About the Author
For some 40 years since the mid-1950's, Zouary has been an active supplier-producer of entertainment programs syndicated worldwide for television, cable, and home video programming. Of his various professional activities during his lifetime, he is recognized as an independent producer-writer, program executive, motion picture archivist and historian.
He has pursued an exhaustive research program for many years on the accomplishments of Dr. Lee DeForest, scientist-inventor, who ushered in the electronic revolution with his invention of the electronic tube amplifier in 1907 which led to the first known electronic voice transmission in 1907 and successful earth-moon communications, and an exceedingly important phase of the hitherto unknown pioneering and development of electronically recorded sound-on-film technology.
Zouary's book, DeForest-Father of the Electronic Revolution, is the most authoritative study on the life of Dr. Lee DeForest, whose electronic tube amplifier device made modern electronics possible and the basis of all mass communication possible. DeForest was the pioneering inventor of sound-on-film technology still in basic use today.
Zouary has been recognized as an authority on this phase of the DeForest breakthrough, receiving an Award of Merit by the DeForest Pioneers which merged into the prestigious Radio Club of America. Zouary received further honors by their executive being made a senior and life member; receiving a major Lee DeForest Award citation and a Fellow in the club. Zouary appeared on several television talk shows and lectured widely demonstrating actual sound-films made by DeForest in the years 1919 and 1924. Several published articles by Zouary have been recognized as a 'new history' of motion picture pioneering and technological development very few realized ever happened. Such articles have been quotes by leading journalists and critics such as Harold C. Schonberg (New York Times) and Charles Cooke (Washington Star) as well as University professors in their own writings in books and periodicals.
Leading authors such as Walter Kerr recognized Zouary's works in his book 'The Silent Clowns' (Knopf); Professor Geduld of the University of Indiana gave special attention to Zouary findings in his book 'The Birth of the Talkies' (Indiana Press); also Robert Kimball's historic study of black entertainers, 'Reminiscing with Sissle and Blake' (Viking); Leslie Cabarga's extensive study of the golden age of animation, 'The Fleischer Story' (Crown) also included certain DeForest's pioneering due to Zouary's findings.
Born in Brooklyn in 1921, Zouary continued to post-graduate study at the N.Y. School of Industrial Art and Design after graduating with honors from Brooklyn High School for Specialty Trades. At age 15, Zouary had already developed professional skills as a sign writer and calligraphic artist and was accepted as the youngest journeyman member of the local sign painters union. This advanced skill led to his employment in 1936 by the Randforce Theatre Circuit in Brooklyn as a general assistant and in charge of lobby displays for four of their theatres.
Since movies were always his first real interest, he was now in his element being that his natural instincts for show business was inherited from a family of exposition showmen.
His grandfather was an exhibitor-showman at major cities of the world since 1855 to the turn of the century. His two sons then came on the show business tradition as showmen and vaudeville performers. All of this background and flair for show business, provided Zouary with natural skills to become involved in almost every phase of motion picture production and distribution, advertising, writing, industrial design, commercial art and film editing, television, and film production.
At the outbreak of World War II, Zouary was in the employ of the TransLux theatre circuit creating and producing lobby theatre fronts for their various newsreel and feature film houses. Whereby Zouary's restless nature prompted him to enlist as an essential team member of the Navy's Ships Company unit at the new Maritime Training Base in Brooklyn where he handled base production duties and weekly incoming USO shows while in basic training. His honorable discharge led to his second enlistment in the Army Corps of Engineers.
Applying his professional art background, Zouary's works included the preparation and execution in the promtional and media materials of major motion pictures releases by Paramount and Universal-international Pictures and other national accounts. In the earliest years of television in 1948, while Zouary worked for an industrial design company designing and rendering equipment for manufacture and package design for major accounts, Zouary then turned his interests towards what he believed would become a great potential for creative skills. His initial efforts brought him to Hollywood where he became an active member of the Screen Writers Guild and produced live and film commercials for local clients. Returning to New York, he joined the new television division of Grey Advertising Agency on a contract basis servicing and creating commercial ideas for local and network programs for their clients.
While in their employ, Zouary packaged and produced programs such as his three-times-a-week program, 'To Be Wed' (WABC-TV) which starred Nancy Craig as Hostess.
This combined activity and applied skills spanning over two decades, prepared Zouary to establish his own company in television production and distribution of programs.
In 1957, his company was founded and developed into one of the largest independently owned motion picture film libraries of footage dating back to 1898 which serviced all networks and major documentary producers such as David Wolper on his Biography series. During those years, Zouary wrote and produced a number of documentaries and series which included a ppular children's newsreel syndicated worldwide. During which Zouary was personally associated with network award-winning documentary specials with credits as consultant-coordinator. His own semi-documentary feature film, 'Martin Luther: Rebel Priest,' had its initial bookings in first-run Detroit theatres.
Zouary is now associated as program consultant and Managing director of Movietronics Corp. of America, Inc. and is presently programming their vast library of 350 comedies which were originally distributed by Zouary's company through the sales television division of the BBDO Ad Agency under the 'Laff-Movie' series of 52 one hour comedy specials.
Zouary's biographical data appears in several Who's Who publications internationally, including 'Who's Who in America' (Marquis), 'Men of Achievement' (IBC-Cambridge), 'Dictionary of International Biography' (IBC-Cambridge), 'The International Motion Picture Almanac' (Quigley) and, 'The Film Daily Yearbook.'
He is a member of leading industry organizations such as the Motion Picture Pioneers (Class of 1965), The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (original member-1950 Hollywood), DeForest Pioneers; life member, Radio Club of America (world's oldest electronics society); life member, Art Students Leaue of New York; Commission of Colonel in the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels appointed by Martha Lane Collins, Governor of Kentucky.
Zouary is also the author of published papers on television and television entertainment and technology: 'The New Syndicator' (1976); 'The Psychology of Entertainment' (1977, Official Publications of Broadcast Information Bureau); 'The Binding Effect of Environment Television' (1994, published by The Radio Club of America Proceedings), Through all the years, Zouary has periodically applied his mastery of calligraphic lettering art skills and is a member of the prestigious calligraphy organization of the Society of Scribes.