Paul Julios Gottlieb Nipkow invented the first device that could transmit images electronically in 1884, laying the foundations for the development of television. While television technology advanced over the decades, Nipkow is credited as the inventor whose early work in image scanning and transmission enabled the creation of television. Modern televisions that entertain millions can trace their origins back to Nipkow's pioneering work developing one of the earliest image scanning and transmission devices.