Essay in Favor of Charles Francis Jenkins as the Inventor of Television
Thesis Statement
Charles Francis Jenkins holds the strongest, most well-documented claim as the inventor of television, having preceded John Logie Baird and others in the wireless transmission of motion pictures. While many contributed to television’s evolution, Jenkins was the only figure present at its true creation.
Introduction
The invention of television is often described as a collective achievement, the product of international experimentation and decades of incremental progress. While this is true to some extent, the question remains: can one individual be identified as the actual inventor of television? Specifically, did Charles Francis Jenkins precede John Logie Baird in transmitting moving images wirelessly?
Answering this question requires a clear distinction between invention and iteration. Invention refers to the initial creation of a new technology or concept, while iteration involves subsequent improvements or refinements. Many figures played vital roles in developing or refining the technology. However, their work built on foundational breakthroughs that had already been achieved. This essay contends that Charles Francis Jenkins, through a series of verifiable milestones beginning in 1923, was the first to transmit wireless motion pictures and therefore deserves primary credit.
Moreover, since we can only assess history based on the evidence available, we must rely on documented facts. After a century, it is unlikely that any new, credible information will emerge to drastically change the historical record. For the benefit of future generations, a conclusion must be reached—and the evidence points to Jenkins as the rightful originator.
The Origins of Television: Establishing Context
Television’s development was an international endeavor, with inventors across multiple countries contributing critical innovations. However, invention is not simply about improving what already exists—it is about being the first to bring an entirely new idea to life in a demonstrable and documented way.
Five individuals stand out in the story of television’s origins: Charles Francis Jenkins, John Logie Baird, Philo Farnsworth, Kenjiro Takayanagi and Vladimir Zworykin. To clarify their roles, it’s helpful to divide their contributions into two eras:
Before 1926 - Invention
From 1926 Onward - Development & Refinement
Only Jenkins and Baird appear in the pre-1926 timeline, positioning them as the most credible contenders for the title of “inventor.” The year 1926 represents a turning point—from television’s origins and early proof-of-concept demonstrations to broader technological refinement and commercialization. The following timeline outlines the most significant milestones.
BEFORE 1926: INVENTION
Key Historical Timeline: Jenkins vs. Baird
1923 – First Wireless Motion Picture Transmission in History (Jenkins) *
In 1923, Charles Francis Jenkins achieved a major technological milestone by conducting the world’s first wireless transmission of motion pictures. The demonstration took place at his laboratory at 1519 Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., and was witnessed by representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Post Office. Using a device he called the "radio eye," Jenkins and his assistants demonstrated motion by moving their hands and various objects in front of the apparatus. The machine captured the live images and transmitted them wirelessly to a receiver in an adjacent room, where they were projected onto a viewing screen.
The following day, The Evening Star reported the event, stating:
“Motion Pictures by Radio — the sending by wireless of actual moving scenes from life and their reproduction on a screen at the receiving end, with every motion accurately portrayed, is now an accomplished fact.
Marking the latest triumph of human ingenuity, C. Francis Jenkins, the Washington inventor of still pictures by radio, yesterday, in the presence of officials from the Bureau of Standards, the Navy Department, and the Post Office Department, performed the feat of transmitting through the air the movement of his hands and other objects by holding them before his ‘radio eye’ device installed in his laboratory.”
The Casper Sunday Morning Tribune reported the event under the headline “Practical Transmission of Movies by Radio Is Proved.”
At the time, no individual had previously claimed to transmit moving images wirelessly, and notably, no one else would attempt to do so for at least two more years.
1924 – Exhibit at Convention Hall to U.S. Federal Agencies (Jenkins)
Between March 19 and 26, Jenkins demonstrated his system at Washington's Convention Hall before representatives from the Bureau of Standards, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and other federal agencies. That same year, The Washington Times published a profile revealing that Jenkins was inspired to develop television by a letter from a deaf child—an early indication of the technology’s social potential.
1925 March – Demonstration of Crude Still Images (Baird)
John Logie Baird is reported to have conducted a demonstration at Selfridges Department Store in London. However, according to the BBC, this event involved only a rudimentary transmission of a still image rather than moving pictures. As described, “Bemused shoppers were shown a recognizable, though somewhat blurred, image of simple shapes such as letters printed in white on a black card.” The system used "had only five scanning lines and was a 'shadowgraph'—displaying only a silhouette outline image." Evidence indicates that Baird’s March 1925 experiment yielded, at most, a rudimentary still image and thus fails to satisfy the requisite standards for inclusion within this study.
1925 June – First Public Demonstration of Motion Pictures in History (Jenkins)
In June 1925, Charles Francis Jenkins successfully transmitted moving images of a Dutch windmill over a distance of seven miles—from the Naval Research Laboratory in Bellevue, D.C., to his laboratory at 1519 Connecticut Avenue. This public demonstration was witnessed by representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy, Post Office, and members of the scientific community. Reports of the event appeared in newspapers across the United States and internationally.
The Washington Post, in an article published the following day, described the event as a historic milestone:
“A group of distinguished government officials and scientists, called unexpectedly from their offices and laboratories, sat yesterday morning in the laboratory of C. Francis Jenkins at 1519 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, and saw for the first time in history motion pictures of a moving object miles away, received over the radio and thrown upon a miniature screen.”
A few days later, The Casper Sunday Morning Tribune echoed the significance of the event with the headline:
“‘Radio Vision’ Shown First Time in History by Capital Inventor.”
Further cementing his legacy, Jenkins was awarded U.S. Patent No. 1,544,156 that same month in 1925, titled “Transmitting Pictures by Wireless,” officially recognizing his pioneering contribution to the development of television.
1925 October - First Self-Documented Moving Image (Baird) *
Baird’s laboratory was located in two attic rooms above the Selfridge Department Store in London. According to Baird, upon realizing that his apparatus was finally functioning, he rushed downstairs in search of someone to stand before the camera for a test. He found a young office worker from Selfridge’s, William Taynton, who agreed to assist. The two then took turns “looking at one another” on the screen.
According to the BBC, Taynton—the only other witness to this event—later recalled the moment:
“Mr. Baird came rushing down, full of excitement, and almost dragged me out of my office to go to his small laboratory. I think he was so excited that words failed him. He just grabbed me and wanted me upstairs as quickly as possible.”
In an effort to record some movement, Baird instructed Taynton to stick out his tongue and make funny faces. The intense heat generated by the apparatus soon became overwhelming. “I shouted to him that I was getting roasted alive,” Taynton remembered. “He shouted back, ‘Hang on a few seconds longer, William, a few seconds if you can.’ So I did, staying as long as I possibly could until I just couldn’t anymore. I pulled out of focus in the terrific heat—it was very uncomfortable. And then Mr. Baird came running around from the receiving end with his arms in the air, saying, ‘I’ve seen you, William! I’ve seen you! I’ve got television at last—the first true television picture!’”
This incident was Baird’s earliest recorded claim to have produced a moving image—occurring two years and five months after Charles Francis Jenkins’s initial 1923 demonstration before U.S. government officials, and more than five months after Jenkins’s public showing in June 1925.
FROM 1926 ONWARD - DEVELOPMENT & REFINEMENT
1926 – First Public Demonstration of Motion Pictures (Baird)
In January 1926, John Logie Baird presented his first public demonstration of motion pictures to a gathering of scientists and members of the Royal Institution.
The Times report of 28 January was the only press account obtained first-hand of this historic event. Members of the Royal Institution and other visitors to a laboratory in an upper room in Frith Street, Soho, on Tuesday witnessed a demonstration of apparatus invented by Mr. J. L. Baird. For the purpose of the demonstration, the head of a ventriloquist’s doll was used as the image to be transmitted, although a human face was also reproduced. First, on a receiver in the same room as the transmitter, and later on a portable receiver in another room, the visitors observed a recognizable reproduction of the movements of the dummy head and of a person speaking. The transmitted image was faint and blurred, yet it substantiated Baird’s claim that, through the “Televisor,” as he has named his apparatus, it is possible to transmit and reproduce instantaneously the details of movement and even the play of expression on the face.
This marked Baird’s first officially documented demonstration of motion pictures.
1926 – First Demonstration of His Television System (Kenjiro Takayanagi)
In late December 1926, Japanese engineer Kenjiro Takayanagi demonstrated a working model of a cathode-ray tube television system at Hamamatsu Industrial High School. His contribution was significant but came after both Jenkins and Baird.
1927 – First Demonstration of His Television System (Philo Farnsworth)
On September 7, 1927, Philo Farnsworth demonstrated the first fully electronic television system. While this breakthrough in image resolution and electronic scanning was a major step forward in television’s development, it did not constitute the invention of television itself.
1928 – First Daily Television Broadcast in History (Jenkins)
With the exception of a few brief experimental transmissions, no other form of regular television broadcasting had been established. Charles Francis Jenkins was the first to do so, and soon after, he was airing television programs six nights a week from his studio at Dupont Circle. At the time, his broadcasts were the only daily television programming anywhere in the world—a fact well supported by historical records.
1929 – First Demonstration of His Television System (Vladimir Zworykin)
Vladimir K. Zworykin first publicly demonstrated his version of a television system, featuring the kinescope—an important advancement because of its use of the cathode-ray tube—on November 18, 1929, at a convention of radio engineers.
1929 – First Experimental Television Broadcast (Baird)
Also in 1929, John Logie Baird transmitted his first experimental television broadcast from the Baird Studios in Long Acre, which was aired via the London Regional transmitter of the BBC.
Conclusion
The fundamental question about the invention of television is clear: Did Charles Francis Jenkins transmit wireless moving images before John Logie Baird? The evidence confirms that he did. In 1923, Jenkins successfully transmitted wireless motion pictures—at least two years and five months before Baird’s first recorded claim of success in October 1925. Jenkins also secured a crucial patent and launched the world’s first daily television broadcasts.
Although Baird, Farnsworth, Takayanagi, and Zworykin made important advancements, they did so much later and all of them followed the path Jenkins had already pioneered.
Why, then, has Jenkins not received broader recognition? The answer likely lies at the intersection of timing and circumstance. His most significant breakthroughs occurred during the 1920s, but by the time television began capturing public attention in the 1930s, the Great Depression had stifled innovation and investment. Jenkins passed away in 1934, just as television was starting its rise to prominence. Soon after, the nation was drawn into war, and without ongoing publicity, Jenkins’ vital contributions quietly faded into the margins of history. Over the past century, many individuals involved in television’s development have been mistakenly credited as its inventors. The absence of a clear, authoritative history has frequently caused confusion about the invention’s true origins.
Nonetheless, the historical record—through patents, press coverage, and technical demonstrations—clearly supports one conclusion: Charles Francis Jenkins deserves to be acknowledged as the true inventor of television.
Accordingly, 1519 Connecticut Avenue—where these landmark achievements took place—can rightly be recognized as the birthplace of television.
Charles Francis Jenkins holds the strongest, most well-documented claim as the inventor of television, having preceded John Logie Baird and others in the wireless transmission of motion pictures. While many contributed to television’s evolution, Jenkins was the only figure present at its true creation.
Introduction
The invention of television is often described as a collective achievement, the product of international experimentation and decades of incremental progress. While this is true to some extent, the question remains: can one individual be identified as the actual inventor of television? Specifically, did Charles Francis Jenkins precede John Logie Baird in transmitting moving images wirelessly?
Answering this question requires a clear distinction between invention and iteration. Invention refers to the initial creation of a new technology or concept, while iteration involves subsequent improvements or refinements. Many figures played vital roles in developing or refining the technology. However, their work built on foundational breakthroughs that had already been achieved. This essay contends that Charles Francis Jenkins, through a series of verifiable milestones beginning in 1923, was the first to transmit wireless motion pictures and therefore deserves primary credit.
Moreover, since we can only assess history based on the evidence available, we must rely on documented facts. After a century, it is unlikely that any new, credible information will emerge to drastically change the historical record. For the benefit of future generations, a conclusion must be reached—and the evidence points to Jenkins as the rightful originator.
The Origins of Television: Establishing Context
Television’s development was an international endeavor, with inventors across multiple countries contributing critical innovations. However, invention is not simply about improving what already exists—it is about being the first to bring an entirely new idea to life in a demonstrable and documented way.
Five individuals stand out in the story of television’s origins: Charles Francis Jenkins, John Logie Baird, Philo Farnsworth, Kenjiro Takayanagi and Vladimir Zworykin. To clarify their roles, it’s helpful to divide their contributions into two eras:
Before 1926 - Invention
From 1926 Onward - Development & Refinement
Only Jenkins and Baird appear in the pre-1926 timeline, positioning them as the most credible contenders for the title of “inventor.” The year 1926 represents a turning point—from television’s origins and early proof-of-concept demonstrations to broader technological refinement and commercialization. The following timeline outlines the most significant milestones.
BEFORE 1926: INVENTION
Key Historical Timeline: Jenkins vs. Baird
1923 – First Wireless Motion Picture Transmission in History (Jenkins) *
In 1923, Charles Francis Jenkins achieved a major technological milestone by conducting the world’s first wireless transmission of motion pictures. The demonstration took place at his laboratory at 1519 Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., and was witnessed by representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Post Office. Using a device he called the "radio eye," Jenkins and his assistants demonstrated motion by moving their hands and various objects in front of the apparatus. The machine captured the live images and transmitted them wirelessly to a receiver in an adjacent room, where they were projected onto a viewing screen.
The following day, The Evening Star reported the event, stating:
“Motion Pictures by Radio — the sending by wireless of actual moving scenes from life and their reproduction on a screen at the receiving end, with every motion accurately portrayed, is now an accomplished fact.
Marking the latest triumph of human ingenuity, C. Francis Jenkins, the Washington inventor of still pictures by radio, yesterday, in the presence of officials from the Bureau of Standards, the Navy Department, and the Post Office Department, performed the feat of transmitting through the air the movement of his hands and other objects by holding them before his ‘radio eye’ device installed in his laboratory.”
The Casper Sunday Morning Tribune reported the event under the headline “Practical Transmission of Movies by Radio Is Proved.”
At the time, no individual had previously claimed to transmit moving images wirelessly, and notably, no one else would attempt to do so for at least two more years.
1924 – Exhibit at Convention Hall to U.S. Federal Agencies (Jenkins)
Between March 19 and 26, Jenkins demonstrated his system at Washington's Convention Hall before representatives from the Bureau of Standards, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and other federal agencies. That same year, The Washington Times published a profile revealing that Jenkins was inspired to develop television by a letter from a deaf child—an early indication of the technology’s social potential.
1925 March – Demonstration of Crude Still Images (Baird)
John Logie Baird is reported to have conducted a demonstration at Selfridges Department Store in London. However, according to the BBC, this event involved only a rudimentary transmission of a still image rather than moving pictures. As described, “Bemused shoppers were shown a recognizable, though somewhat blurred, image of simple shapes such as letters printed in white on a black card.” The system used "had only five scanning lines and was a 'shadowgraph'—displaying only a silhouette outline image." Evidence indicates that Baird’s March 1925 experiment yielded, at most, a rudimentary still image and thus fails to satisfy the requisite standards for inclusion within this study.
1925 June – First Public Demonstration of Motion Pictures in History (Jenkins)
In June 1925, Charles Francis Jenkins successfully transmitted moving images of a Dutch windmill over a distance of seven miles—from the Naval Research Laboratory in Bellevue, D.C., to his laboratory at 1519 Connecticut Avenue. This public demonstration was witnessed by representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy, Post Office, and members of the scientific community. Reports of the event appeared in newspapers across the United States and internationally.
The Washington Post, in an article published the following day, described the event as a historic milestone:
“A group of distinguished government officials and scientists, called unexpectedly from their offices and laboratories, sat yesterday morning in the laboratory of C. Francis Jenkins at 1519 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, and saw for the first time in history motion pictures of a moving object miles away, received over the radio and thrown upon a miniature screen.”
A few days later, The Casper Sunday Morning Tribune echoed the significance of the event with the headline:
“‘Radio Vision’ Shown First Time in History by Capital Inventor.”
Further cementing his legacy, Jenkins was awarded U.S. Patent No. 1,544,156 that same month in 1925, titled “Transmitting Pictures by Wireless,” officially recognizing his pioneering contribution to the development of television.
1925 October - First Self-Documented Moving Image (Baird) *
Baird’s laboratory was located in two attic rooms above the Selfridge Department Store in London. According to Baird, upon realizing that his apparatus was finally functioning, he rushed downstairs in search of someone to stand before the camera for a test. He found a young office worker from Selfridge’s, William Taynton, who agreed to assist. The two then took turns “looking at one another” on the screen.
According to the BBC, Taynton—the only other witness to this event—later recalled the moment:
“Mr. Baird came rushing down, full of excitement, and almost dragged me out of my office to go to his small laboratory. I think he was so excited that words failed him. He just grabbed me and wanted me upstairs as quickly as possible.”
In an effort to record some movement, Baird instructed Taynton to stick out his tongue and make funny faces. The intense heat generated by the apparatus soon became overwhelming. “I shouted to him that I was getting roasted alive,” Taynton remembered. “He shouted back, ‘Hang on a few seconds longer, William, a few seconds if you can.’ So I did, staying as long as I possibly could until I just couldn’t anymore. I pulled out of focus in the terrific heat—it was very uncomfortable. And then Mr. Baird came running around from the receiving end with his arms in the air, saying, ‘I’ve seen you, William! I’ve seen you! I’ve got television at last—the first true television picture!’”
This incident was Baird’s earliest recorded claim to have produced a moving image—occurring two years and five months after Charles Francis Jenkins’s initial 1923 demonstration before U.S. government officials, and more than five months after Jenkins’s public showing in June 1925.
FROM 1926 ONWARD - DEVELOPMENT & REFINEMENT
1926 – First Public Demonstration of Motion Pictures (Baird)
In January 1926, John Logie Baird presented his first public demonstration of motion pictures to a gathering of scientists and members of the Royal Institution.
The Times report of 28 January was the only press account obtained first-hand of this historic event. Members of the Royal Institution and other visitors to a laboratory in an upper room in Frith Street, Soho, on Tuesday witnessed a demonstration of apparatus invented by Mr. J. L. Baird. For the purpose of the demonstration, the head of a ventriloquist’s doll was used as the image to be transmitted, although a human face was also reproduced. First, on a receiver in the same room as the transmitter, and later on a portable receiver in another room, the visitors observed a recognizable reproduction of the movements of the dummy head and of a person speaking. The transmitted image was faint and blurred, yet it substantiated Baird’s claim that, through the “Televisor,” as he has named his apparatus, it is possible to transmit and reproduce instantaneously the details of movement and even the play of expression on the face.
This marked Baird’s first officially documented demonstration of motion pictures.
1926 – First Demonstration of His Television System (Kenjiro Takayanagi)
In late December 1926, Japanese engineer Kenjiro Takayanagi demonstrated a working model of a cathode-ray tube television system at Hamamatsu Industrial High School. His contribution was significant but came after both Jenkins and Baird.
1927 – First Demonstration of His Television System (Philo Farnsworth)
On September 7, 1927, Philo Farnsworth demonstrated the first fully electronic television system. While this breakthrough in image resolution and electronic scanning was a major step forward in television’s development, it did not constitute the invention of television itself.
1928 – First Daily Television Broadcast in History (Jenkins)
With the exception of a few brief experimental transmissions, no other form of regular television broadcasting had been established. Charles Francis Jenkins was the first to do so, and soon after, he was airing television programs six nights a week from his studio at Dupont Circle. At the time, his broadcasts were the only daily television programming anywhere in the world—a fact well supported by historical records.
1929 – First Demonstration of His Television System (Vladimir Zworykin)
Vladimir K. Zworykin first publicly demonstrated his version of a television system, featuring the kinescope—an important advancement because of its use of the cathode-ray tube—on November 18, 1929, at a convention of radio engineers.
1929 – First Experimental Television Broadcast (Baird)
Also in 1929, John Logie Baird transmitted his first experimental television broadcast from the Baird Studios in Long Acre, which was aired via the London Regional transmitter of the BBC.
Conclusion
The fundamental question about the invention of television is clear: Did Charles Francis Jenkins transmit wireless moving images before John Logie Baird? The evidence confirms that he did. In 1923, Jenkins successfully transmitted wireless motion pictures—at least two years and five months before Baird’s first recorded claim of success in October 1925. Jenkins also secured a crucial patent and launched the world’s first daily television broadcasts.
Although Baird, Farnsworth, Takayanagi, and Zworykin made important advancements, they did so much later and all of them followed the path Jenkins had already pioneered.
Why, then, has Jenkins not received broader recognition? The answer likely lies at the intersection of timing and circumstance. His most significant breakthroughs occurred during the 1920s, but by the time television began capturing public attention in the 1930s, the Great Depression had stifled innovation and investment. Jenkins passed away in 1934, just as television was starting its rise to prominence. Soon after, the nation was drawn into war, and without ongoing publicity, Jenkins’ vital contributions quietly faded into the margins of history. Over the past century, many individuals involved in television’s development have been mistakenly credited as its inventors. The absence of a clear, authoritative history has frequently caused confusion about the invention’s true origins.
Nonetheless, the historical record—through patents, press coverage, and technical demonstrations—clearly supports one conclusion: Charles Francis Jenkins deserves to be acknowledged as the true inventor of television.
Accordingly, 1519 Connecticut Avenue—where these landmark achievements took place—can rightly be recognized as the birthplace of television.
Disclaimer:
The information presented on this website reflects the author’s own research, interpretations, and opinions, and is provided for informational and historical purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, readers are encouraged to consult primary sources where available. Any references to individuals, living or deceased, are made respectfully and without intent to defame, misrepresent, or cause harm.
The information presented on this website reflects the author’s own research, interpretations, and opinions, and is provided for informational and historical purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, readers are encouraged to consult primary sources where available. Any references to individuals, living or deceased, are made respectfully and without intent to defame, misrepresent, or cause harm.