1891-1971
Television Network Executive

Background.

Born in Minsk, Russia, David Sarnoff immigrated to America in 1900 to reside with his family in a tenement on New York City's Lower East Side. To support his family, nine-year-old David, the eldest son, almost immediately found work selling newspapers. Soon he had his first real job, as a five-dollars-a-week messenger boy. In 1906 he took a position with American Marconi, the American office of the first wireless-telegraph company, Marconi Wireless. As a telegrapher for Marconi, Sarnoff stayed at his post for three straight days after the sinking of the SS Titanic on 14 April 1912, receiving wireless transmissions of the names of the dead and survivors. The Titanic tragedy had the effect of boosting the infant wireless industry, which could communicate with vessels at sea.

Forming RCA.

Sarnoff's fortunes rose with American Marconi's, and when the company merged with several others to form...