“If I could explain it to the average Joe they wouldn’t have given me the Nobel prize.”
Guglielmo Marconi
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1909
Born: 25 April 1874, Bologna, Italy
Died: 20 July 1937, Rome, Italy
Affiliation at the time of the award: Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co. Ltd., London, United Kingdom
Prize motivation: "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy."
Prize share: 1/2
Work
In the late 1880s a previously unknown type of radiation was discovered - radio waves. It was found to have the same nature as light, but with a greater wavelength. Various physicists and technicians investigated whether radio waves could be used to transmit signals. In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi used radio waves to transmit signals over a distance of several kilometers. He developed the technology in subsequent years to achieve greater range. The foundation for both wireless telegraphy and radio had been laid.
