Who does not know the radio? This wonderful invention has fulfilled multiple functions throughout the history of mankind. However, as has happened with many of the most famous inventions; like the light bulb or the telephone, several characters always come to light in the fight of the title: inventor of…
It is no secret to anyone that those great scientists and thinkers always had their ideas hidden with suspicion until they were perfected. For this reason, when we go to history books, we do not find passages that tell us about the true incidents, clashes, and suffering that they had to endure to earn the name of inventors.
Come on, just by typing a little on the web we find names competing for the spotlight. But pay attention that radio communication is not the same as the invention of devices that prototype the radio. Because it is not that it should be seen as a struggle, because if we rather take it as contributions that polish a great idea; then we find ourselves with the “exquisite corpse” of the radio.
A little history
If we start to tell you the complete story; from the discovery of radio waves to the present I’m afraid you’re falling asleep. But with a little ingenuity, we will give you a brief account; so that the argument that we want to present to you later makes some sense. After all, to talk about history you need a little bit of narrative; and not bad if written with good humor.
Instructions
- It turns out that some time ago around 1873, the famous James Clerk Maxwell began studies on the description of electromagnetic waves; they are nothing more than radio waves. Explaining his “Dynamic Theory of the Electromagnetic Field”, he made clear the variability of electromagnetic fields and their displacements in space.
- You will ask yourself now: What does this have to do with the radio? Well, a lot. A little science please, and common sense; that every invention has a basic theory. Like you, many at the time were left blank with this theory, until Heinrich Rudolf Hertz appeared; who was the first to artificially recreate waves based on Maxwell’s theory.
- So, people see sense in the matter when finally the characteristics studied from the analysis of the waves; using a device of two metal bars, could be translated into “equations”: better known as “wave equations”.
- When Hertz shows that electromagnetic waves can propagate at almost the same speed as light, the good part begins. This theoretical discovery is the basis for sending and transmitting radio signals. And you who thought that the numbers were not very useful… Well, now you can be surprised; because this brilliant finding is that they came to be called ” Hertzian waves”.
Tesla or Marconi?
- The first radio broadcast was made by the renowned Guglielmo Marconi. This Italian successfully commercialized wireless telegraphy at the time, based on the transmission of Hertzian waves. Marconi is known as the author of the radio in the military and maritime communications of a military nature.
- Tesla was considered the inventor of the radio because he patented the design; that is, he presented improvements to the original. However, the invention as such was already supported by the studies carried out by Marconi and his scientific contributions.
- For his part, Alexander Lee de Forest fun, is another character who patented Marconi’s invention. He amplified radio signals from the creation of the “triode”. To all these, it was already in 1906 that Reginald Aubrey Fessenden transmitted the first radio broadcast as true empirical evidence of so many years of theoretical study of his predecessors.
- In short, if we take into account; it is not a single inventor as such. Well, the prototype comes from an abstract idea, every idea comes from a reflection. Therefore, from this reflection emerges entrepreneurship and later great scientific contributions. For this reason, we consider that all the characters mentioned here, in one way or another, have all been part of the invention of the radio.
- You see! The world is a handkerchief… And it is that historical devices are the product of brilliant minds that come together with a great futuristic idea to enhance and refine scientific knowledge. Therefore, we know that it is not so important to give prominence to a name like the “inventor”; but more important is to know the process so that you learn the next time.
What do you need
Several personalities in history are omitted from the merit of the inventor of the radio. But, so that you don’t have any doubts, we list a few and we specify his contributions to the final design:
- Marconi: the one with the original idea. The mastermind of the empirical theory of support, one could say.
- Tesla: who improved the patent of the original design, improving the design in terms of the transmission of radio waves.
- Maxwell: the futurist scientist who gave the abstract theoretical basis to the invention.
- Hertz: who discovered the speed of waves and their main characteristics.
Tips
So that you are no longer deceived by the history books, learn to make a critical reading of the facts; looking for data from different sources and comparing its veracity in the light of verified information, such as the one we provide you.