John Logie Baird was born in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, to Reverend John Baird, a Church of Scotland minister, and Jessie Morrison Inglis. Growing up, he displayed a keen interest in technology and experimentation, constructing rudimentary electrical devices and setting up a telephone exchange connecting his house with his friends' homes. This early curiosity foreshadowed his future as an innovative engineer.

During his childhood and adolescence, Baird's penchant for experimentation often led to humorous, if not slightly dangerous, situations. He once attempted to electrify his bicycle with the aim of making it self-propelled, resulting in a rather shocking (literally) experience. These early, albeit flawed, endeavors fostered a resilient spirit of inquiry and problem-solving that would prove invaluable in his later television research.