Google has been very instrumental in influencing the world to go digital. But in its recent launching of Doodle, it opted to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the mechanical TV.
The internet search giant unveiled the current Doodle on Jan. 26. This is also the day when the mechanical television was unveiled by John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor, 90 years ago, in Jan. 26, 1926.
According to an article in The Telegraph, Baird transmitted the image of the moving head of his business partner, Daisy Elizabeth Gandy, on a small TV screen. Gandy's image was not clear and the screen was very small, measuring just about 3.5 x 2 inches (8.8 x 5 cm).
This earliest progenitor of modern TV was called "Televisor" which allowed 'looking and listening in' simultaneously. It was equipped with a rotating mechanism that generated an image that accompanied the sound. The device made history when it made its first live broadcast in 1926.
Baird continued developing his invention and a year later, he made his first video and audio transmission between Glasgow and London through a 438-mile long telephone cable.
After that, he established the Baird Television Development Company and produced the first live transmission of the Epsom Derby, as well as the first transatlantic TV broadcast.
Baird also developed the first color TV. In 1929, he introduced the first mass-produced TV in the world. From that time until 1937, Baird's company was the one used by BBC to air its TV broadcasts.
The Google Doodle is a concept of its founders, Larry and Sergey, who played around with their corporate logo to signify that they have attended the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.
Time went on and now, the Doodle is used mostly in celebrating familiar holidays, anniversaries and significant historical events. This year the company elected to celebrate the humble beginnings of the mechanical television.
