German physicist who generated and detected radio waves in 1887–88
Guglielmo Marconi
Italian inventor who built a commercial wireless telegraph
Nikola Tesla, Oliver Lodge, Alexander Popov and Jagadish Chandra Bose
All made important contributions
Plate 072
1895–1901
Italy, England, Newfoundland, Russia, India
No photograph is shown for this exhibition. The museum displays an image only where it can show the object honestly.
About this date
Guglielmo Marconi sent signals about 2 km in 1895 and across the Atlantic in December 1901. Heinrich Hertz demonstrated radio waves in 1887–88, and others claimed priority.
About credit
Several people developed wireless communication at the same time. In 1943 the US Supreme Court ruled one of Marconi’s key patents invalid in light of earlier work, including Tesla’s, but the debate over who deserves credit continues.
Chapter II
The world before
Life before Radio
Communication at a distance needed wires. Ships at sea were cut off.
II
The human achievement
How it came about
Marconi built on Hertz’s waves with better antennas and receivers. His signals crossed the English Channel in 1899. The sinking of the Titanic in 1912, when wireless operators called for help, led to rules requiring ships to keep radio watch.
III
Understanding the invention
How it works
Radio, explained in two steps.
01
Step 01 of 02
Waves from a spark
A rapidly changing current in an antenna sends out electromagnetic waves.
Waves from a spark
Tuning
IV
The transformation
What changed for humanity
Safety at sea
Ships could call for help.
Mass media
Broadcasts reached millions in real time.
Information could reach ships, planes, armies and homes. Broadcast radio gave the world a shared voice.
V
Before and after
Life before and after Radio
Before
Flares and hope.
After
A distress call heard far away.
On larger screens, drag the divider (or use the arrow keys) to give more room to the world before or after.