Plaque

John Logie Baird - N10

Inscription

John Logie Baird
John (Logie) Baird, the inventor of the first television, was born in 1888 in Scotland. Like many Scots of his era he sought his fortune in London, working in business.
His fascination lay with mechanics, motors and electricity for which he had little time but in late 1922 he became gravely ill and was forced to quit his job, giving him time to work on his television project.
Financially destitute most of the time Baird worked tirelessly, aware that others were at work, he raced to beat them. He filed a patent for his television design in July of 1923, but he did not have a prototype until 1924 using an old tea chest as a base. He mounted a motor and attached a cardboard circle cut from a hat box, with a darning needle becoming a spindle, and a discarded biscuit box became a lamp housing. Apart from the motor his greatest expenditure were a few bullseye lenses costing four pence each.
In August of the same year he unveiled the 'television' in Selfridges department store. Avid spectators gathered in a small dark room, straining to see the flickering image of a doll on a screen that was barely four by two inches.
It was not until January 26th 1926 that Baird demonstrated a fully working prototype of mechanical television to members of the Royal Institution. This was the world's first demonstration of true television because it showed moving human faces, with the individual on screen being fully recognisable.

Site: John Logie Baird - Muswell Hill (1 memorial)

N10, Fortis Green Road, 122, John Baird Public House

As far as we can discover this location has no connection with Baird, other than its (not great) proximity to Alexandra Palace where the world's first television service was inaugurated by the BBC in 1936.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
John Logie Baird - N10

Subjects commemorated i

Royal Institution (of Great Britain)

A group of men started meeting at Gresham College and formed a society to pro...

Read More

Selfridges

Department store created by Harry Selfridge. The flagship store opened on 15 ...

Read More

John Logie Baird

Born in "The Lodge" in Helensburgh, near Glasgow. Inventor of mechanical tele...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Samuel Whitbread - royal visit

Samuel Whitbread - royal visit

EC1, Chiswell Street, 52

Their majesties King George III & Queen Charlotte were received in this brewery by Samuel Whitbread, 24th May 1787.

3 subjects commemorated
Samuel Morse

Samuel Morse

W1, Cleveland Street, 139

London County Council Samuel Morse, 1791 - 1872, American painter, and inventor of the Morse Code, lived here, 1812 - 1815.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Dame Maud McCarthy

Dame Maud McCarthy

SW3, Markham Square, 47

On our visit the sun was so strong and at such an angle that it rendered the plaque illegible if photographed square on.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Aske's Hospital - left - 1828

Aske's Hospital - left - 1828

N1, Pitfield Street

Note that the plaque says that not only was a new building erected but also that the site was extended into the adjacent ground.

3 subjects commemorated, 5 creators
V1 Flying Bomb Dartford

V1 Flying Bomb Dartford

DA1, 40, Carrington Road

V1 Flying Bomb Carrington Road Sunday 6th August 1944. On this spot fell a V1 flying bomb resulting in the loss of 10 lives, 107 injuries...

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator