Baird, John Logie, 1888-1946, Scottish inventor. In 1926 he gave the first demonstration of true television with a televisor of his own invention that differed from later instruments in being partially mechanical rather than wholly electronic. He accomplished transatlantic television in 1928 and demonstrated color television in the same year. He also invented (1926) the noctovisor, an instrument for making objects visible in the dark or through fog by means of infrared light.

Baird, Spencer Fullerton, 1823-87, American zoologist, b. Reading, Pa., grad. Dickinson College, 1840. He was professor of natural history at Dickinson from 1846 to 1850. While at the Smithsonian Institution (from 1850; as secretary from 1878) he supervised the building of a museum to house the collection of North American fauna that had been amassed under his guidance. In 1871, Congress established the U.S. Fish Commission with Baird as its head. Baird set up the Marine Biological Station at Woods Hole, Mass., organized the expeditions of the research ship Albatross, and initiated valuable studies on wildlife preservation. His publications (over 1,000 titles) show a phenomenal range of scientific work. His books on birds inaugurated the so-called Baird school of ornithological description, emphasizing accurate observation of each individual. Among other major studies were the Catalogue of North American Reptiles (with Charles Girard, 1853) and the Catalogue of North American Mammals (1857).

(born June 12, 1833, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.—died Feb. 6, 1912, Des Moines, Iowa) U.S. politician. An advocate of the Greenback movement, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa (1879–81, 1885–89). He helped form the People's Party (see Populist movement) and was its candidate for president in 1892, receiving more than 1 million popular votes and 22 electoral votes. After helping effect the party's merger with the Democratic Party, he retired to Iowa.

Learn more about Weaver, James B(aird) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Aug. 13, 1888, Helensburgh, Dunbarton, Scot.—died June 14, 1946, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, Eng.) Scottish engineer. Plagued by ill health, he gave up his job as an electric-power engineer in 1922 and devoted himself to television research. He produced televised objects in outline in 1924 and recognizable human faces in 1925, and in 1926 became the first person to televise pictures of objects in motion. He demonstrated colour television in 1928. The German post office gave him facilities to develop a television service in 1929. When the BBC television service began (1936), his system competed with that of Marconi Electric and Musical Industries; the BBC adopted the latter exclusively in 1937. Baird was reported to have completed research on stereoscopic television at the time of his death.

Learn more about Baird, John L(ogie) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born June 12, 1833, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.—died Feb. 6, 1912, Des Moines, Iowa) U.S. politician. An advocate of the Greenback movement, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa (1879–81, 1885–89). He helped form the People's Party (see Populist movement) and was its candidate for president in 1892, receiving more than 1 million popular votes and 22 electoral votes. After helping effect the party's merger with the Democratic Party, he retired to Iowa.

Learn more about Weaver, James B(aird) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Aug. 13, 1888, Helensburgh, Dunbarton, Scot.—died June 14, 1946, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, Eng.) Scottish engineer. Plagued by ill health, he gave up his job as an electric-power engineer in 1922 and devoted himself to television research. He produced televised objects in outline in 1924 and recognizable human faces in 1925, and in 1926 became the first person to televise pictures of objects in motion. He demonstrated colour television in 1928. The German post office gave him facilities to develop a television service in 1929. When the BBC television service began (1936), his system competed with that of Marconi Electric and Musical Industries; the BBC adopted the latter exclusively in 1937. Baird was reported to have completed research on stereoscopic television at the time of his death.

Learn more about Baird, John L(ogie) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Baird is a city in Callahan County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Callahan County. The city is named after the second owner of Baldwin Locomotive Works, Matthew Baird.

Geography

Baird is located at (32.396035, -99.397140).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (2.60%) is water.

Callahan County Library

The Callahan County Library was started in 1937 by the Baird Wednesday Club, the Pioneer Museum was added in 1940.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623 people, 677 households, and 429 families residing in the city. The population density was 619.0 people per square mile (239.2/km²). There were 806 housing units at an average density of 307.4/sq mi (118.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.51% White, 0.18% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 7.09% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.43% of the population.

There were 677 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,446, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $21,974 versus $16,298 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,951. About 12.3% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Baird is served by the Baird Independent School District, located at 600 West 7th Street. Baird ISD is classified as a 1A high school.

Interesting Facts

• Baird has been designated "The Official Antique Capital of West Texas"
• It has one Dairy Queen, five churches, four gas stations, and no grocery store
• The former Callahan County Jail at 100 W. 5th Street was originally in the nearby ghost town of Belle Plain. When the county seat moved to Baird, the jail was disassembled brick by brick, and reassembled at its current location.

References

External links