MARCONI, GUGLIELMO. - Scientist, b. in Bologna on April 25, 1874, d. in Rome on July 20, 1937. From his youth he showed a marked inclination for the study of experimental physics. Having learned at the age of 16 of the experiments that in 1886 had led Hertz to produce electromagnetic waves such as Maxwell's electrodynamics predicted, he devoted himself without hesitation to their study.
At that time the tendency of physicists was to produce similar waves of ever shorter wavelength; Hertz had succeeded in reducing to 80 cm the length of the waves generated with his apparatus; Righi in Bologna succeeded in producing waves of a few millimeters. M., while appreciating those results of great physical interest, genially intuited that to send signals to distant stations waves were needed different from those hitherto employed in physics laboratories; therefore, having moved to his father's villa at Pontecchio, he began his experiments. The first notable progress achieved was that of employing an antenna for the production and reception of the waves and of having the earth intervene as part of his apparatus. Thus in a short time M. was able to transmit signals over distances of a few hundred meters, and then to reach 1700. He then intuited that in order to go around obstacles, for example a hill, it was advisable to employ waves of a length much greater than those in use in laboratories: thus he succeeded in transmitting signals up to 2400 m with a hill in between. At this point M. took out his first patent (1896) and began the improvements aimed at the industrial exploitation of his work, going to England, where he had relatives willing to help him. He was then 22 years old.
After a series of successful experiments under the auspices of Sir William Preece, with the assistance of representatives of the navy and the army, the practicality of the Marconi system for the transmission of signals was recognized; thereupon in 1897 the company was formed to finance further research, which in 1900 assumed the name of M.'s Wireless Telegraph Company.
From then on the triumphs can no longer be counted. From transmission over tens of km on land and at sea, on Dec. 12, 1901, the first transmission between England and America was achieved. All the great steamships equipped themselves with transmitting and receiving stations, and several of them were able to obtain assistance in tragic circumstances, with the saving of countless human lives.
From the transmission of signals they passed to the transmission of speech. Naturally numerous scientists and organizations of many nations also contributed to this enormous work; and, as always happens, there was no lack even of envy and struggles of every kind. But all humanity recognized in M. the merit of having been the first to intuit the possibility and to perfect the technique of radio transmissions, with immense universal benefit. The whole world shared in the grief for the untimely death of the great pioneer; for the duration of his solemn funeral all the radiotelegraphic and radiotelephonic stations of the entire world interrupted their operation as a sign of mourning.
Bibliography2 works
Paolo Straneo