Press Room

Many of the inventors who are responsible for the modern world have been lionized as heroes — and rightfully so, in most cases. But former President of Rockwell Scientific Company, Derek T. Cheung, writes in his book, "Conquering the Electron," that many of the best-known scientists were also "scoundrels" who subscribed to the saying "the ends justifies the means."

Cheung recently offered an unusual stroll through the history of technology, sharing previously untold tales that honor scientific legends, while also exposing their ruthlessness. It turns out that icons such as Samuel Morse, David Sarnoff, Alexander Graham Bell and Guglielmo Marconi, had a dark side.

"Alexander Graham Bell stole his invention (the telephone) from (Elisha) Gray, and then lied about it. In fact, he (Bell) was a liar all his life," Cheung said on a recent edition of The Costa Report. "That's pretty sad, because he is one of the heroes in our history books!"

And how about Marconi?

The Italian inventor known for pioneering long-distance radio transmission.  Marconi was one of the largest bankrollers of Benito Mussolini, the murdering Italian dictator who led the National Fascist Party. According to Cheung, "The United States became very nervous about (Marconi's relationship with Mussolini), which is what led to the formation of RCA."

Cheung, who once served as a consultant to the United States Army's Science Advisory Board elaborated, "At the time, Marconi controlled all of the wireless communications in the United States, and the formation of RCA was needed to take back control of a very critical part of our nation's security." Apparently, allowing a Fascist to control all of the wireless transmission on which the military depended didn't sit well with the defense department.

While Bell and Marconi had a sinister side, Samuel Morse - credited with inventing the telegraph - was equally corrupt.  History has proven that he stole most of his ideas (including the idea of the Morse Code, which he named after himself) from other inventors.  Cheung said. "He was a pretty nasty guy who was sued by every person he ever worked with."

And then there's the pioneer who started RCA, David Sarnoff, who, according to Cheung, destroyed the lives of two great scientists, Edwin Armstrong and Philo T. Farnsworth.  Cheung says his research revealed that Armstrong invented FM radio and tried to sell the patent to Sarnoff.  Knowing that Armstrong had sunk all of his money into perfecting an FM band, Sarnoff used his influence with the Federal Communications Commission to change the frequency allocation of FM radio, which rendered all of Armstrong's work obsolete.

Broke and broken, Armstrong committed suicide.

But Sarnoff wasn't done. He pirated the television technology developed by Farnsworth, which plunged Farnsworth into a dark depression from which he never emerged.

Lastly, Cheung cited William Shockley, the Nobel Prize-winning genius responsible for the invention of the transistor. Shockley had such a difficult and offensive personality that he alienated all of his associates and coworkers — eventually causing eight geniuses to find bank financing and star their own ventures.

Among those who Shockley alienated:  The founder of chip giant, Intel, and most successful venture-capital companies in the world, Kleiner, Perkins.

To listen to the full interview with Derek T. Cheung, visit www.rebeccacosta.com