NEWS FLASH... Murray, KY Man Develops Major Invention of Recent Times!

I loosely say “recent times” as most of this man's inventions came in the 1890's through the early 1900's; however, his inventions: the radio and the electric battery and his many other developments have made it possible for the further creations of telephones, television, cell phones, the Internet and much, much more. I suspect everyone of us that, at least, attended the fifth grade in school knows that a man named Marconi is given credit for inventing the radio and TV, and more.

Well that is not quite correct... a Calloway County, Kentucky farm boy by the name of Nathan B. Stubblefield grew up to invent the radio and much more. The first known radio broadcast was in 1892 by “Old Nate” about 33 years old (this when Marconi was only 18 years old!). In fact, after failing to get a timely patent on his invention (to work out the “bugs” and attempt to better perfect the “wireless” radio), Stubblefield still has the first patent on the invention of the radio, but the delay allowed others to take the credit and rake in the fortunes for its use.

Nathan is another American “hero” who received little recognition or compensation for his major contribution to the world. He died, alone, of starvation in 1928 in a dirt-floored shack!

Don Counts sent me this link to write this article: “A Man of Sorrow and Defeat” by Joe Aaron of the Evansville Courier. Here is another story found in the Browning Online Database: “Bill Drury Wants to Preserve Kentucky's Broadcast History” by Sandra Knipe 29 Oct 1987 Evansville Courier. Google or Yahoo “Nathan B. Stubblefield” for a lot of very authoritative and interesting articles on this basically unknown great inventor and his other ideas and inventions! - Written by JGWest