Lee de Forest
Inventor of the Audion triode vacuum tube
- Lived
- 87 yrs
- 1873 – 1961
- Works listed
- 2
- Invention, Autobiography
- Honours
- 2
- Most recent 1946
- Profile views
- 0
- 0 followers
Lee de Forest was an American inventor who created the Audion, a three-element vacuum tube that could amplify electrical signals. It made radio broadcasting, long-distance telephone calls and early electronics possible. He also developed an early sound-on-film system. He died in 1961.
Biography
Education
De Forest earned a PhD at Yale in 1899 with a thesis on radio waves.
The Audion
In 1906 he added a third electrode, the grid, to a two-element vacuum tube, creating the Audion. Engineers later found it could amplify signals and act as an oscillator, the foundation of electronics before transistors.
Radio
He made early broadcasts, including a 1910 live opera from the Metropolitan Opera with Enrico Caruso, and sold his patents to AT&T for long-distance telephony.
Lawsuits and film
He fought patent battles with Edwin Armstrong and developed Phonofilm, a sound-on-film system, in the 1920s. He died in 1961.
Timeline
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1873
Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
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1899
PhD from Yale
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1906
Audion
-
1910
Broadcasts Caruso from the Met
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1913
Sells patent rights to AT&T
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1922
IEEE Medal of Honor
-
1923
Phonofilm
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1961
Dies
-
1961
Died, aged 87
Notable works
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1906
Audion Invention
-
1950
Father of Radio Autobiography
Awards and honours
-
IEEE Medal of Honor
1922
-
Edison Medal
1946
Did you know?
-
1
He called himself the “Father of Radio”.
-
2
He was once tried for fraud over stock sales and acquitted.
-
3
He received an honorary Academy Award in 1960.
Connections
Related people
Also born on 26 August
-
Mother Teresa
Activism & Humanitarian · Founder of the Missionaries of Charity; Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Catholic saint
1910
-
B. V. Doshi
Art & Design · Architect; first Indian winner of the Pritzker Prize
1927
-
Katherine Johnson
Science · NASA mathematician whose calculations sent astronauts into orbit and to the Moon
1918
-
Karen Spärck Jones
Science · British computer scientist who invented inverse document frequency, used in search engines
1935
Frequently asked
Who is Lee de Forest?
Lee de Forest was an American inventor who created the Audion, a three-element vacuum tube that could amplify electrical signals. It made radio broadcasting, long-distance telephone calls and early electronics possible. He also developed an early sound-on-film system. He died in 1961.
When did Lee de Forest die?
Lee de Forest died on 30 June 1961 at the age of 87.
Where is Lee de Forest from?
Lee de Forest was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States.
What is Lee de Forest known for?
Lee de Forest is best known for The Audion (1906–08), the first electronic amplifier; Phonofilm sound-on-film.
What awards has Lee de Forest received?
Notable honours include IEEE Medal of Honor (1922), Edison Medal (1946).
References
- Lee de Forest — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Lee de Forest — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Lee de Forest — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. www.leedeforest.org. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Lee de Forest (Q354863) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Lee de Forest”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Lee de Forest.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/lee-de-forest
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