Nathan Stubblefield

Nathan B. Stubblefield (November 22, 1860 - March 28, 1928) was a American inventor and Kentucky melon farmer. It has been claimed that Stubblefield invented the radio before either Nikola Tesla or Guglielmo Marconi, but his device seems to have worked by induction transmission rather than radio transmission (and his general contributions were after Tesla's inital public demonstrations).

Contents

1 Biography 2 Timeline 3 Book 4 External links and references

Biography

Nathan B. Stubblefield was the son of a lawyer, Capt Billy Stubblefield, and he was an educator. Stubblefield lived in Murray, Kentucky. He was orphaned in 1874. Stubblefield was unschooled (or self-schooled). He married 1881. Nathan Founded the "Teléph-on-délgreen" school in Murray, Kentucky. Teléph-on-délgreen is now the campus where Murray State University is located. The campus was originally named "Teléph-on-délgreen" by Stubblefield, because of the nature of the land's ability to emit electromagnetic energy from the ground. Over one hundred ten years ago, the school Stubblefield operated at that site was called, "Nathan B. Stubblefield's Wireless Industrial School, or "Teléph-on-délgreen". (According to Murray State Professor, Dr. Larry Joseph Hortin, Ph.D.)

According to Murray State University Professor, Dr. Ray Mofield, Ph.D, Stubblefield invented the wireless telephone known as radio. According to Edward Freeman, he made his first demonstration of any kind in Murray in 1882. Stubblefield caused distinct vibration tremors of the compass needle using his earth battery. In 1885, Stubblefield reportedly succeeded in sending voice between 2 parallel antennas by utilizing the same principles as Henry and Loomis developed in sending damped signals but via an low-frequency undamped electric wave dispersion system. It was limited in distance, but wireless.

Among the methods Stubblefield used in his operating device were:

1. electro-magnetic induction
2. electric current dispersion [wired]
3. electro-static induction
4. electro-magnetic waves
5. Combination of previous methods

The first and fourth methods were demonstrate by Stubblefield. By 1890, Stubblefield reportedly was using methods 1, 2, 3 and 4 to transmit and receive articulate voice. He was reportedly the first to use a loudspeaker with his wireless.

By 1890, Stubblefield discovered there were several methods by which articulate speech could be transmitted between two given points without connecting wires, or wireless telephony, as it is was popularly termed at the time. Stubblefield's reportedly first public "wireless telephone" demonstration was given in the town square of Murray, Kentucky, a radius of about one half mile. Rainey T. Wells was one of the first persons to hear Stubblefield's wireless voice transmissions, in 1892.

From 1885 to 1913, Stubblefield invented, developed, manufactured and sold, both his wired mechanical telephone, and his wireless telephone systems through his own companies, partnerships or corporations he owned shares of stock in. The companies he was involved in were the NBS Enterprises, The Wireless Telephone Company of America, The Gehring-Fennell-Stubblefield Group, The Continental Wireless Tel.& Tel Company, The Collins Wireless Telephone Company, and Teléph-on-délgreen. In 1898, Stubblefield receives approval of the patent "Electric battery" (US600457; this patent for electrolytic coil is referred to as an earth battery).

Stubblefield's business partners ultimately irreparably damaged his developments and left him bankrupt. Stubblefield later lived in a self-imposed isolation in a crude shelter and, eventually, starved himself to death. Stubblefield destroyed every prototype he made. He was buried in the Stubblefield Cemetery in Murray, Kentucky (Calloway County). The cemetery is located in the back yard of the house where he lived.

Timeline

1882 - Transmitted audio frequency electromagnetic signals

1885 - Transmitted the Human Voice, using his induction coil transmitter

1892 - First to Broadcast Human Voice, using his wireless telephone attached to a land aerial - First Wireless Telephone Broadcasting Demonstrations [Voice]

1898 - May 8 -- Patent Wireless Telephone Transmission Coil

1902 - First Ship-to-Shore wireless telephone Broadcast, using wires dropped in the water from the steamer Bartholdi-

1908 - Patented the All-in-One Wireless Telephone for Auto/Ship/Train : patent US887357.

Book

• Cory-Stubblefield, Troy, "Smart Daaf Boys, Vol. I - The Inventors of Radio & Television and the Life Style of Nathan B. Stubblefield". (Library of Congress Catalog Card #93-060451 / ISBN 1-883644-00-3)

External links and references

Information

• Naughton, Russell, "Nathan Stubblefield (http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/STUBBLEFIELD_BIO.html) : 1858 - 1928". Adventures in Cybersound.
• "Nathan B. Stubblefield (http://wfmu.org/LCD/GreatDJ/Stubble.html)". Wfmu.org. 1996.
• "Nathan Stubblefield (http://www.nathanstubblefield.com/)". All About Wireless. 2001.
• "Stubblefield Radio Trust (http://smart90.com/stubblefieldradiotrust)". SMART90.com.
• "Did Nathan B. Stubblefield, really invent the wireless telephone (http://smart90.com/nathanstubblefield)?". The TeleKey Group.
• Haslam, Garth, "Stubblefield's Wireless (http://anomalyinfo.com/articles/sa00005.shtml)". Anomalies, Mysteries, or Curiosities.
• "Nathan Stubblefield (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8647)". Find A Grave
• " Stubblefield Cell (http://www.icehouse.net/john1/stubblefield.html)". Icehouse.net.
• Raw Deal (http://www.blastbooks.com/RAWDEAL/Stubblefield/fr2stub.htm) summation

Patents

• US600457 Patent - "Electric battery (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=600457.WKU.&OS=PN/600457&RS=PN/600457)" - May 8, 1898.
• US887357 Patent - "Wireless Telephone (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?TERM1=887357+&Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=0&f=S&l=50)" - May 12, 1908.