Wyckoff, Edwin Brit. The Guy Who Invented Home Video Games: Ralph Baer
Enslow 2010 32p 22.60 978-0-7660-3450-1
elem E-BNS Genius At Work! Great Inventor Biog
Biographical look at the inventor of the home video game. He dared to ask “What else can a TV do?” His prototype opened the door to the home video game industry. Rudolf Heinrich Baer was born in Germany in 1922. Persecuted as Jews, the family escaped to Holland then America. His name was changed to Ralph. Seeing an advertisement for radio and television repairmen, Ralph took the correspondence course. There was good work during W.W.II when new equipment could not be purchased. After serving in the army, Baer moved on to learning about television and worked in military electronics. While waiting for an engineer, he drew the technical concept for a video game controller. The first prototype was called the Brown Box. Magnavox bought the rights and sold it as the Odyssey game system. His next invention was Simon. Others have followed. In 2006 Baer received the National Medal of Honor for Technology.
This text includes a brief glossary, a list of both book and web site resources, and an index. The photographs enhance the text. This gives a good introduction to a little known inventor.
Very highly recommended for upper elementary grades. Theal, Joan
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