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The 1908 photograph depicts Nathan B. Stubblefield along with the wireless telephone of his own invention.
Born November 22, 1860 (1860-11-22) Cause of death heart disease (suspected) Died March 28, 1928, Murray, Kentucky.
Nathan Beverly Stubblefield (November 22, 1860 – March 28, 1928), self-described "practical farmer, fruit grower and electrician", was an American inventor best known for his wireless telephone work. He received widespread attention in early 1902 when he gave a series of public demonstrations of a battery-operated wireless telephone, which could be transported to different locations and used on mobile platforms such as boats. While this initial design employed conduction, in 1908 he received a U.S. patent for a wireless telephone system that used magnetic induction. However, he was ultimately unsuccessful in commercializing his inventions. He later went into seclusion, and died alone in 1928. https://alchetron.com/Nathan-Stubblefield
Wednesday, March 28, 1928, noted American inventor Nathan B. Stubblefield (1860-1928), a self-described “practical farmer, fruit grower, & electrician,” met his unfortunate earthly demise at the age of 67 when he died in seclusion from the effects of starvation & heart disease in a crude shelter near the village of Almo in Calloway County of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Nathan Stubblefield
Nathan Stubblefield is best-remembered nowadays for his wireless telephone work. He received widespread acclaim in early 1902 when he gave a series of public demonstrations of a battery-powered wireless telephone. In 1908, he received a U.S. patent for a wireless telephone system that used magnetic induction; however, he was ultimately unsuccessful in commercializing his inventions.
Disagreement persists as to whether or not Stubblefield’s communications technology can be classified as radio, & whether or not his 1902 demonstrations could be considered the first “radio broadcasts.” Most reviews of his efforts have concluded that they were not radio transmissions, because his devices, although a form of “wireless” communication, employed conduction & inductive fields, whilst the standard definition of radio is the transmission of electromagnetic radiation. Stubblefield may have been the first to simultaneously transmit audio wirelessly to multiple receivers, albeit over relatively short distances, whilst predicting the eventual development of radio broadcasting on a national scale.
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