De Forest Radio Company Advertisement
December 1931 QST Article

Lee de Forest, inventor of the Audion vacuum tube, created a business called De Forest Radio Company (although I hear he didn't build that). This advertisement for his company's electron tubes appeared in the December 1931 edition of the ARRL's QST magazine.

If you research Lee de Forest, you will find his name spelled incorrectly in many different forms: de Forest, De Forest, de Forest, de Forest, to give a few. When in doubt, go straight to the source, which in this case is the signature that de Forest placed on his patent applications - he used "de Forest." Note that the official company name, according to the advertisement address at the bottom, is "De Forest Radio Company," (space used) yet the text of the copy uses the form "de Forest" (no space), and the marking on the base of the tube says, "de Forest." Sometimes marketing companies screw up, so I went searching for a more reliable source - the name given on the company's stock certificate. Sure enough, "de Forest" was the official name.

Below the ad is a broadcast made by Jean Shepherd from station WOR in New York in 1968, relating the time when he met Lee de Forest during WWI when Shepherd was 17 years old. Jean Shepherd, if you don't know, is the guy who originated the story that is the basis of "A Christmas Story," one of my favorite Christmas movies.

De Forest Radio Company Advertisement

de Forest Radio Company Advertisement in December 1931 QST Magazine

Radio Personality Jean Shepherd Comments on Meeting Lee de Forest

Mike Adams Presents Lee de Forest King of Radio Television and Film

Posted July26, 2019          (10/26/2012)