Technology

Lee de Forest

Birth of Lee de Forest 

Lee de Forest was born on August 26, 1873, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. His inventions made long-distance telephone service, radio broadcasting, television, and many other technologies possible, making him one of the founders of the “electronic age.”

Echo I

Echo 1

On August 12, 1960, Echo I, the world’s first passive communications satellite, was placed in orbit around the Earth. The goal was to send radio signals into space from one location, bounce them off the satellite, and receive them at another location.