Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937)

Guglielmo Marconi is widely known as the father of the radio. He was also largely responsible for long distance radio transmission. This is probably his chief accomplishment. Marconi also was responsible for long distance telegraph […]

Guglielmo Marconi is widely known as the father of the radio. He was also largely responsible for long distance radio transmission. This is probably his chief accomplishment. Marconi also was responsible for long distance telegraph transmission as well as Marconi’s law. He is known as the creator of the radio telegraph system. Marconi was also one of the winners of the 1909 Nobel prize in Physics.

Early Years

Marconi was was on April 24 1974 in Bologna, Italy.Marconi spent his boyhood in his home city of Bologna. He was well known for doing some of his experiments in Bologna. Marconi was educated in the local schools, but was not a good student.

Radio Development

Marconi developed an early interest in science and electricity. Marconi began noticing the connection between electromagnetic waves and energy waves now known as radio waves. Marconi began an interest in these waves after the death of Heinich Hertz one of the early pioneers in studying the waves. Marconi began to study these waves in depth in 1894.

First Devices

Gulglielmo Marconi began to experiment with these devices in the attic of his parent’s home.Marconi’s goal was to use radio telegraphy to transmit the waves as sort of a radio telegraph. The wireless telegraphy was something that Marconi was aiming to produce. This was the use of sending messages without using connecting wires. The first devices consisted of an oscillatior,capacitor placed above the ground,a receiver, telegraph key, and telegraph register. Marconi began the experiments indoors, and later transferred them outside to use a hilltop to transfer the signal further.

Later Use

Italian officials did not seem to be particularly interested in Marconi’s new device. It was not until Marconi demonstrated his wireless telegraph to electrical engineer William Preece in London, that the device really began to take off. Marconi travelled to London and began to impress the local engineer Preece with the use of the electronic transmissions over Salisbury plain roughly a 3.7 mile distance. Wireless messages began developed enough to show to the public. They were quite impressed by the messages and the transmissions.

Transatlantic Communications

Marconi began around the turn of the 19th to 20th century to begin long distance transmissions. He was instrumental in getting the signal across the Atlantic. Marconi began to further develop the method of telegraph and transatlantic communication. There were a number of things that Marconi did to claim the title as the first to use transmission between continents. Marconi transmitted in December 1901 from County Galway in Ireland to St. John’s in Newfoundland using a 500 foot kite supported antenna The message may have been received across the water, but the test was not well documented. Another test that was more definitive was radio transmissions that were done at night. The test was done aboard the S.S. Philadelphia. The transmission was received at a distance of 1,551 miles away. This showed that the signals could be sent several thousand kilometres and were more powerful at night than during the day. An actual early documented communication was made by sending a message from Glace Bay in Nova Scotia from President Teddy Roosevelt to King Edward the VII of Great Britain. It was one of the first transatlantic communications to go across the Atlantic. This was followed by the development large messaging centres that sent communications across the ocean.

Disaster at Sea

In 1912 the two radio operators of the Titanic were employed not by White Star Lines but by Marconi communications. The operators were able to communicate the transmission of the disaster to the Carpathia by Marconi’s wireless communication system. It was widely credited with saving the lives of the Titanic survivors.

Technologically conservative

Marconi continued to use inefficient spark operating technology until 1915. This was replaced in later years by the more modern Vacuum transmitter In 1920 there was the first entertainment broadcast in the United Kingdom. In 1922 continuous broadcasts came from a Marconi centre in London featuring some famous performers of the day.

Later Years

Marconi was named a Senator in the Italian government, and later joined the Fascist party. He died in 1937 after a series of heart attacks, and radio silence was observed as a tribute to the grand master, who oversaw the development of the device. Marconi was a true pioneer of communications.

Guglielmo Marconi biography and works