Biographical Highlights

  • 1890 - Born on December eighteenth in New York City.
  • 1912 - Invented regenerative circuit, making long distance radio communications feasible.
  • 1917 - Invented superheterodyne circuit, which permitted unprecedented selectivity and amplification in processing radio signals. Awarded the inaugural IRE (now IEEE) medal of honor.
  • 1919 - Recognized by the Radio Club of America as the foremost figure in radio.
  • 1922 - Invented superregenerative circuit, which made two-way mobile radio possible.
  • 1923 - Designed and built portable superheterodyne AM receiver to be a wedding present for his bride, Marion MacInnis.
  • 1933 - Invented wide band FM technology, which surpassed AM by:
    • reducing static to an insignificant factor;
    • eliminating interference by same-frequency stations;
    • facilitating use of entire audio frequency spectrum;
    • permitting complete dynamic range reproduction;
    • receiving all stations at the same volume level;
    • penetrating steel bridges, underpasses and other structures not previously reached by radio signals;
    • providing reliable night and day coverage within a predetermined area;
    • greatly increasing non-fading reception range.
  • 1941 - Assigned all patents, without fees or royalties, to U.S. Government for military use during World War II.
  • 1952 - Developed, with John Bose, FM multiplex transmitting which made radio and television stereo broadcasting possible.
  • 1954 - Died on February 1 in New York City.