After expressing an interest in becoming involved with a Broadway musical based on the Flaming Lips' album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, television's Aaron Sorkin has announced he's developing a Broadway play about television called The Farnsworth Invention. The name comes from Philo T. Farnsworth, the man often credited with inventing the first TV. The play focuses on Farnsworth and his rival, David Sarnoff, as they fight over who should get credit for the invention, and which direction the medium should take.

Today is the 100th birthday of the inventor of television, Philo T. Farnsworth. Farnsworth got the idea for television while plowing his family farm in Idaho when he was 14 years old. When I was 14 years old, I was trying to figure out what would work better, Clearasil or Stridex.

The history of television is a really interesting story. After Farnsworth demonstrated the wonders of TV in his San Francisco lab when he was 21, RCA head David Sarnoff was thinking of ways to stop him and take credit. Many people today still think RCA (and Vladimir Zworykin) invented television, but it was Farnsworth. Aaron Sorkin wrote a script for a Farnsworth movie, but decided to make it into a stage play instead. The Farnsworth Invention will debut in California next year.

Happy Birthday, Philo. And thanks for giving me a job!