Edwin Armstrong
18 December 1890 – 1 February 1954
Edwin Howard Armstrong (1890-1954) was an American electrical engineer and inventor who developed FM (frequency modulation) radio and the superheterodyne receiver architecture used in virtually all modern radios. His inventions, including the regenerative and superregenerative circuits, made him one of the most influential figures in radio history. Exhausted by years of patent litigation with RCA and others, he died by suicide in 1954.
Lived at the same time
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Life events
Edwin Howard Armstrong was born in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, New York City.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgWhile studying at Columbia University, Armstrong devised the regenerative (feedback) circuit, which greatly amplified radio signals and could also generate continuous waves.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArmstrong earned his electrical engineering degree from Columbia University, where he had studied under Michael Pupin.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgServing as a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer in France, Armstrong developed the superheterodyne circuit, which became the standard architecture for radio receivers.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArmstrong developed the superregenerative circuit, the sale of which to RCA made him a major RCA shareholder.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArmstrong married Marion MacInnis, who had been secretary to RCA president David Sarnoff, and gave her the world's first portable superheterodyne radio as a wedding present.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArmstrong was granted a series of patents covering wideband frequency modulation, his solution to the problem of static in radio transmission.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArmstrong constructed the first full-scale FM broadcast station, demonstrating the superior sound quality and static rejection of frequency modulation.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArmstrong began a long and draining legal battle against RCA and NBC for infringement of his FM patents.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgWorn down by litigation and financial strain, Armstrong died by suicide, falling from his thirteenth-floor apartment in Manhattan.
Source: en.wikipedia.org