There are often more minds involved in the creation of an invention than the one that receives ultimate notoriety and acclaim, particularly with an invention as complex and cutting edge as radio. While Guglielmo Marconi is credited as radio’s inventor, his achievements would likely be diminished without the many bright minds that paved his way to success.
Early radio contributors in the 1800s included Oersted, Ampere, Faraday, and Henry who laid the groundwork for James Clerk Maxwell’s study of the electromagnetic field. Maxwell’s equations and theories, considered controversial during his time, were later realized by German physicist Heinrich Hertz in experiments that generated, detected, and measured the properties of electromagnetic waves. Hertz was a true academic, uninterested in applying theory to modern-day life. It was Marconi who did just that, ultimately receiving worldwide acclaim.
Marconi was only 20 years old when he grew interested in Hertz’s earlier discovery of “invisible waves” generated by electromagnetic interactions. He used these theories to build wave-generating equipment on his family’s estate, sending signals as far as one mile away. Recognizing the potential usefulness of his device, he took his findings to the Italian government and was rejected. Undiscouraged, Marconi packed up his mother and his machine, and took his findings to London, where he was met with a far more encouraging audience—and several interested backers, including the British Post Office.
Within two years of his stay in England, Marconi was broadcasting up to 12 miles, had applied for initial patents, and had set up a wireless station on the Isle of Wight that enabled Queen Victoria to send messages to Prince Edward on the royal yacht. Shortly after, Marconi traveled to the U.S. where he provided wireless coverage of the America’s Cup yacht race off the coast of New Jersey. He expanded his work to include successful transatlantic broadcasts and, in 1909, was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics with German physicist Karl F. Braun, who invented the cathode ray tube.
Granted the title, “Father of Radio,” Marconi’s achievements were met with minimal accolade and much controversy within the radio community—largely due to similar and equally noteworthy contributions made by earlier radio pioneers. As early as 1895, the Russian physicist Alexander Popov successfully broadcast between buildings, while Jagdish Chandra Bose used radio waves to ring bells and trigger explosions in India.
However, Serbian-American Nikola Tesla would prove Marconi’s most formidable foe. Tesla claimed to have developed a wireless telegraph in 1893 and questioned the validity of many of Marconi’s patents. Tesla took his disputes to the U.S. Supreme Court where justices voted to invalidate fourof Marconi’s existing patents, citing Tesla’s earlier work (you can view the court case here).
Marconi gained later esteem with the advent of Marconi Company radios used on passenger vessels for communication, navigation reports, and distress signals. These communication devices, operated by “Marconi Men,” became standard issue and were most notably used to call for help onboard the sinking Titanic, saving hundreds of lives.
Near the end of his life, Marconi continued to experiment with shortwave broadcasts from the comfort of his 700-ton yacht. He spent time in Italy and toured Brazil and Europe as a defender of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Marconi died of a heart attack on July 20, 1937. Radio stations in America, England, and Italy broadcast several minutes of silence to honor his memory.
