Jewish Invention Myths: The High-Vacuum Electron Tube
Sometimes when investigating ‘jewish invention’ myths I come across something that doesn’t appear widely known or at least has been covered up jews asserting priority over the inventions of non-jews.
The case of the High-Vacuum Electron Tube – what the jews mean is the triode vacuum tube - is one such example with jews such as Kathryn Bernheimer asserting that jews invented it (1) and listing Irving Langmuir as the ‘jewish inventor’. (2)
We’ve already discussed Langmuir in the context of the claim that he invented the incandescent lamp/incandescent light bulb and shown how this is complete a-historical nonsense. (3)
This is the case with the high-vacuum electron tube claim as well.
Since what Langmuir actually did was to improve upon German inventor Wolfgang Gaede’s mercury vacuum pump in 1912, (4) which Gaede had invented in Germany in 1905 (5) and use this improvement to produce better hard-vacuum electron tubes which his employer – General Electric – began to sell in 1915.
That’s where it gets interesting because the high-vacuum electron tubes were first invented by American inventor and pioneer of electronics Lee de Forest in 1907 when he created the triode vacuum tube when he was tinkering with his original 1906 diode vacuum tube which he called the ‘Audion’. (6)
As an aside De Forest’s design was later significantly improved by prolific Finnish inventor Eric Tigerstedt in 1914 not by Langmuir in 1912. (7)
De Forest was granted US patent 879,532 for it in February 1908 after applying for it in January 1907. (8)
However, Langmuir tried to patent his version in 1913 but De Forest invalidated Langmuir’s claim by asserting the priority of his own patent and the US patent office agreed with him and triggered a long-running legal case that finished in May 1931 with De Forest completely victorious and Langmuir with egg on his face. (9)
So, no Irving Langmuir didn’t invent the High-Vacuum Electron Tube.
Lee de Forest did and Langmuir tried to steal his invention!
References
(1) https://boulderjewishnews.org/2009/an-informal-list-of-jewish-inventions-innovations-and-radical-ideas/
(2) https://christianislamicforum.wordpress.com/dedicated-to-our-jewish-brethren/
(3) See my article: https://karlradl14.substack.com/p/jewish-invention-myths-the-incandescent
(4) https://edisontechcenter.org/GEresearchLab.html; https://edisontechcenter.org/IrvingLangmuir.html
(5) https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0001/bsb00016322/images/index.html?seite=29
(6) Sir John Fleming, 1919, ‘The Thermionic Valve and its Developments in Radio-Telegraphy and Telephony’, 1st Edition, The Wireless Press: London, p. 115
(7) Arto Lehto, Antti Räisänen, 2003, ‘Radio Engineering for Wireless Communication and Sensor Applications’, 1st Edition, Artech House: Norwood, p. 7
(8) https://patents.google.com/patent/US879532
(9) https://www.nytimes.com/1931/05/26/archives/de-forest-wins-radio-tube-suit-langmuir-patent-one-of-most.html also https://casetext.com/case/westinghouse-el-mfg-v-de-for-r-t-tel