Semi Joseph Begun
Semi Joseph Begun was a notable figure in the fields of magnetic recording and telecommunications, born on December 2, 1905, in Danzig, Germany. He earned a master's degree in communications engineering and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Berlin Institute of Technology, where he explored magnetic recording technology. After emigrating to the United States in 1935, he faced initial challenges in gaining recognition for his innovations. However, he eventually made significant contributions, developing communication systems for maritime safety and inventing the Sound Mirror, the first commercially sold tape recorder in the U.S.
During World War II, Begun's work included advancements in military technology, such as magnetic recorders for aircraft and underwater acoustic sensors. He held various leadership roles throughout his career, including vice president of research at Brush Development Company, and was instrumental in key agreements that impacted the recording industry. Over his lifetime, Begun received numerous accolades for his contributions, including fifty patents, the Emil Berliner Award, and induction into the Ohio Science, Technology and Industry Hall of Fame. He also engaged with social issues, co-founding organizations aimed at addressing violence against children. Begun passed away on January 5, 1995, and his legacy includes a significant impact on audio technology and telecommunications.
Semi Joseph Begun
German American engineer
- Born: December 2, 1905
- Birthplace: Danzig, Germany (now Gdańsk, Poland)
- Died: January 5, 1995
- Place of death: Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Begun made important contributions in the field of magnetic recording with his development of tape recorders. He was also one of the early researchers in telecommunications and underwater acoustics.
Primary fields: Electronics and electrical engineering; military technology and weaponry
Primary invention: Mail-a-Voice recorder
Early Life
Semi Joseph Begun (SEH-mee JOH-sehf BEH-guhn) was born in Danzig, Germany (now Gdańsk, Poland), on December 2, 1905. He studied at the Berlin Institute of Technology and graduated in 1929 with a master of science degree in communications engineering. He did his graduate work at the Berlin Technical Institute in Charlottenburg. There he developed an interest in magnetic recording and wrote a doctoral thesis titled “Magnetic Recording.” Later, he also published a book with the same title. After graduating in 1933 with a doctorate in electrical engineering, Begun secured a position with the European division of International Telephone and Telegraph, which operated in Germany as Lorenz AG. He was soon promoted to the position of chief engineer. While working for Lorenz, Begun built the first tape recorder—a dictating machine that used wire for magnetic recording. This tape recorder enjoyed considerable popularity in Europe during the 1930’s. Begun also developed the first steel tape recorder for mobile radio broadcasting, the Stahlton-Bandmaschine, which was used by the German Broadcasting System.
Life’s Work
In 1935, Begun emigrated to the United States, where he found that broadcasting companies lacked any interest in his magnetic recording. While continuing to work with magnetic recording on his own, he accepted a position with Guided Radio Corporation. There he developed communication systems for ships. These systems were used to direct passengers to lifeboats in cases of fire or other disasters. Begun’s system worked so well that it was adopted by the U.S. Navy. In 1937, Begun left Guided Radio and founded Acoustic Consultants. While involved in this consulting firm, he invented the Sound Mirror, the first tape recorder sold commercially to the public in the United States.
Begun’s inventions attracted the attention of theBrush Development Company, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1938, he accepted a position in the company’s research and development department. When the United States entered World War II in 1941, Begun contributed to the war effort by producing improved magnetic recorders for use in military aircraft. He also invented underwater acoustic sensors with piezoelectric crystals, as well as torpedoes equipped with sonar homing devices.
As a member of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC), Begun worked to promote research in magnetic recording. During the war, there was a shortage of facilities producing the diamond dies needed to pull ferromagnetic steel into wire, which was used in wire recorders. The NDRC gave Begun a contract to research and develop a substitute for the steel wire used in the military recorders. Begun received a Presidential Certificate of Merit for his work as a member of the NDRC. The award was presented to him by President Harry S. Truman.
In 1943, the Brush Development Company appointed Begun vice president of research. He continued his work in recording media and magnetic recording. He developed and demonstrated the first video recording head. He also invented the Mail-a-Voice recorder, composed of a recording/playback machine and powder-coated disks, which were forerunners of the floppy disk. Recording could be done on both sides of the disk. In his position, Begun was instrumental in the negotiation of a sourcing agreement for magnetic tape with the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M). This agreement resulted in a product line that earned $1 billion for 3M. In 1949, Begun wrote the first textbook on the subject of magnetic recording.
In 1952, the Brush Development Company merged with the Cleveland Graphite Bronze Company and became the Clevite Corporation. Begun served as a member of the new company’s board of directors. In 1968, Clevite merged with Gould-National Battery to form the Gould Corporation. Begun was the main negotiator for Clevite in the merger. He became vice president of technology for Gould and served on the company’s board of directors. In 1969, while working for Gould, he founded Science Management, Inc. (SMI), which provided investment groups and other clients with evaluations of high-technology products and appraisals of management ability of the new companies making the products. In 1971, Begun retired from Gould and founded yet another company, Auctor Associates. This company also provided consultation on high-technology products. The company enjoyed immediate success and served clients in Pittsburgh and Chicago as well as Cleveland.
Begun received numerous honors and awards for his research and development in the electroacoustics field. He received fifty patents during his career. In 1956, he was awarded the Emil Berliner Award by the Audio Engineering Society. In 1960, the society gave him the John H. Potts Medal. In 1993, he was inducted into the Ohio Science, Technology and Industry Hall of Fame. He was also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES).
In addition to being an inquisitive and competent researcher, Begun was involved with social concerns. He was particularly alarmed by the ever-increasing violence in American society. In an effort to effect change, he and his wife founded the Society for the Prevention of Violence and Aggression in Children. They also created the Begun Institute for Studies of Violence and Aggression at John Carroll University in Cleveland. Begun died at his home in Cleveland Heights on January 5, 1995. His collected papers are housed at the Smithsonian Institution in the National Museum of American History.
Impact
Begun was one of the most productive pioneers in research in the areas of magnetic recording, underwater acoustics, and telecommunications. While working in Germany, he developed the Dailygraph, and then the Stahlton-Bandmaschine. The latter was a major advance in mobile radio broadcasting. After emigrating to the United States, he developed a communication system for use on ships. His system contributed to the saving of innumerable lives in disasters at sea, as the system enabled ship crew members to direct passengers to safety.
With the invention of his Sound Mirror, Begun introduced the tape recorder to the American public. He was instrumental in the development of the sound recording industry in the United States. During World War II, Begun was instrumental in developing technology for the military. As a result of his research, military aircraft were equipped with magnetic recorders, and the Navy was supplied with underwater acoustic sensors and torpedoes equipped with sonar homing devices.
Bibliography
Begun, S. Joseph. Magnetic Recording. New York: Rhinehart, 1949. Written as a textbook on magnetic recording, Begun’s work includes the best description of his magnetic recorders available. Well illustrated.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Magnetic Recording: The Ups and Downs of a Pioneer—The Memoirs of Semi Joseph Begun. New York: Audio Engineering Society, 2000. An insightful look into Begun’s life as a researcher, his successes, and the difficulties encountered.
Daniel, Eric D., C. Denis Mee, and Mark H. Clark, eds. Magnetic Recording: The First One Hundred Years. Piscataway, N.J.: IEEE Press, 1999. Discusses the development of magnetic recording in Germany. Excellent presentation of the role of Begun and the Brush Development Company in the field of magnetic recording.
Morton, David. Off the Record: The Technology and Culture of Sound Recording in America. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2000. Contains some information on Begun. A good overview of the industry that Begun helped to develop in the United States.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Sound Recording: The Life Story of a Technology. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. Organized chronologically, the text traces the history of sound recording, discussing the technology itself as well as the economic and cultural effects on the technology. Treats both Europe and the United States. Contains good references to more technical books on the subject.