John H. DeWitt, Jr. (February 20, 1906 – January 25, 1999) was an American pioneer in radio broadcasting, radar astronomy and photometry. He observed the first successful reception of radio echoes off the moon on January 10, 1946 as part of Project Diana.
John Hibbett DeWitt, Jr. was born February 20, 1906 in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of judge John Hibbett DeWitt. He displayed an early interest in electrical engineering, specifically radio te...
more
John H. DeWitt, Jr. (February 20, 1906 – January 25, 1999) was an American pioneer in radio broadcasting, radar astronomy and photometry. He observed the first successful reception of radio echoes off the moon on January 10, 1946 as part of Project Diana.
John Hibbett DeWitt, Jr. was born February 20, 1906 in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of judge John Hibbett DeWitt. He displayed an early interest in electrical engineering, specifically radio technology. He became an amateur radio operator in 1921 and used call sign N4CBC. In 1924, he helped direct the design and installation of a 100-watt radio transmitter at First Baptist Church in Nashville, which would become the area's first commercial radio station.
DeWitt earned a bachelor's degree in engineering degree at Vanderbilt University in 1928, then began work at Bell Laboratories in Washington, DC the next year. He returned to Nashville in 1932 to become chief engineer for WSM.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned...
less
