Guglielmo Marconi

Hello! My name is Guglielmo Marconi. When I was a little boy, living in Italy around the year 1884, I was very curious. I loved learning about science and electricity. I used to wonder about all the invisible things in the air around us, like secret waves. I had a big idea: what if I could use those invisible waves to send messages?

I went up to the attic in my house and started to build. I put wires and buttons together to make a special machine. My first goal, in the year 1895, was to make a bell ring from across the room without any wires touching it! I pushed a button on one machine, and BEEP, the bell on my other machine rang. It was like magic! I had sent a message through the air.

I kept working to make my machine send messages farther and farther away. I sent one across a big field, and then over a hill. My biggest dream was to send a message all the way across the giant Atlantic Ocean. In the year 1901, I did it! I sent a tiny beep... beep... beep sound from England all the way to Canada. My invisible waves had traveled over the water!

My invention was called the radio. At first, it just sent beeping sounds, but soon people could send voices and music, too! Today, you can listen to songs and stories in the car because of my idea. I lived to be 63 years old, and I am so happy that my curiosity about invisible waves helped connect the whole world.

Born 1874
First successful wireless transmission over a hill c. 1895
Filed first patent for wireless telegraphy 1896
Educator Tools