www.lesswrong.com/posts/P792Z4QA9dzcLdKkE/absurdity-heuristic-absurdity-bias
1 correction found
In 1913, Lee de Forest was accused of fraud for selling stock in an impossible endeavor, the Radio Telephone Company
De Forest’s fraud indictment was brought in 1912, not 1913. Contemporary reporting and later reference works show 1913 was the trial year, while the accusation itself dated to March 1912.
Full reasoning
The date in this sentence is off by about a year.
Credible historical sources distinguish between the 1912 indictment/arrest and the 1913 trial:
- EBSCO’s historical summary says that "In 1912, the process culminated in the indictment of de Forest on charges of using the mails to defraud the public" and adds that the case was not resolved until early 1914.
- A contemporaneous newspaper report reproduced by United States Early Radio History says de Forest was arrested on March 27, 1912 on an indictment returned March 15, 1912.
So if the claim is about when he was accused/indicted, the correct year is 1912. 1913 refers to when the defendants went to trial, not when the accusation was first made.
2 sources
- Lee de Forest | History | Research Starters | EBSCO Research
In 1912, the process culminated in the indictment of de Forest on charges of using the mails to defraud the public... Not until early 1914 was the case resolved.
- Lee De Forest Under Arrest (1912)
San Francisco, March 27.--Lee De Forest... was arrested... on an indictment from the southern district of New York... The indictment which was returned March 15, 1912...