MARCONI, Guglielmo. – Scientist, b. in Bologna on 25 Apr. 1874, d. in Rome on 20 July 1937. From his youth he showed a marked inclination for the study of experimental physics. At the age of sixteen, having learned of the experiments conducted in 1886 by Hertz, which had led to the production of electromagnetic waves as predicted by Maxwell’s electrodynamics, he devoted himself forthwith to their study.
At that time, physicists tended to produce ever shorter electromagnetic waves; Hertz had succeeded in reducing the length of the waves generated by his apparatus to 80 cm., while Righi in Bologna produced waves of a few millimetres. Though appreciating these results of great physical interest, Marconi intuitively grasped that to send signals to distant stations, waves different from those hitherto employed in physics laboratories were required. He therefore moved to his father’s villa at Pontecchio and began his experiments. His first notable advance was the use of an antenna for the transmission and reception of waves and the incorporation of the earth as part of the apparatus. In a short time Marconi was able to transmit signals over distances of several hundred metres, and then up to 1,700 metres. He then realised that to overcome obstacles, such as a hill, it was advisable to use waves much longer than those in use in laboratories: thus he succeeded in transmitting signals up to 2,400 metres with a hill interposed. At this point Marconi took out his first patent (1896) and began improvements aimed at the industrial exploitation of his work, going to England, where relatives and devices aided him. He was then twenty-two years old.
After a series of successful experiments under the auspices of Sir William Preece, with the assistance of representatives of the navy and army, the practicality of Marconi’s system for signal transmission was acknowledged; in 1897 a company was formed to finance further research, which by 1900 took the name of M.’s Wireless Telegraph Company.
From then on, successes multiplied. From transmission over tens of kilometres on land and sea, Marconi reached the first transatlantic transmission on 12 Dec. 1901, between England and America. All the great steamships were equipped with transmitting and receiving stations, and several were able to obtain assistance in tragic circumstances, saving countless human lives.
From the transmission of signals, Marconi moved on to the transmission of speech. Naturally, numerous scientists and organisations from many nations contributed to this immense work; and, as always happens, there were also jealousies and struggles of every kind. But all humanity recognised Marconi’s merit in being the first to intuit the possibility and perfect the technique of radio transmissions, to the immense benefit of the world. The pain at the premature death of the great pioneer was shared by the entire world; during the duration of his solemn funeral, all the radiotelegraphic and radiotelephonic stations throughout the world interrupted their operations as a sign of mourning.