One of the least known invention stories of a major technology, in my view, is the invention of video tape recording. And one of my favorite fun facts that a young Ray Dolby, the noise suppression and surround sound guy, co-holds most of the original patents on the technology, which he did while still in school and army basic training. (He’s in the middle of the photo of the Ampex development team, the guy with the bow tie.)
I wrote all about it in a 1994 piece of American Heritage of Invention & Technology magazine called “The Race To Video,” which you can read here.