Sarnoff, David (1891-1971), an American businessman, was one of the first people to see the full possibilities of using radio and television to entertain the public. From 1930 to 1949, he served as president of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). As chairman of the board from 1947 to 1970, Sarnoff built RCA into a major radio and television manufacturer.
Sarnoff was born on Feb. 27, 1891, in Uzlyany, Russia (now Belarus), near Minsk. He came to the United States in 1900. In 1906, Sarnoff taught himself Morse code and was hired by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America. In 1912, Sarnoff picked up signals about the sinking liner Titanic. For 72 consecutive hours, he relayed the names of survivors. American Marconi became part of RCA in 1919, and at Sarnoff’s urging, RCA formed the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in 1926. In the 1930’s, Sarnoff worked to develop commercial telecasting. He later led efforts to develop color TV. He died on Dec. 12, 1971.
