Guglielmo Marconi

Guglielmo Marconi
GCVO
Marconi in 1908
Member of the Senate of the Kingdom
In office
1914–1937
Appointed byVictor Emmanuel III
Personal details
Born
Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi

(1874-04-25)25 April 1874
Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Kingdom of Italy
Died20 July 1937(1937-07-20) (aged 63)
Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Burial placeMausoleum of Guglielmo Marconi, Emilia-Romagna
MonumentsGuglielmo Marconi Memorial, Washington, DC, US
Years active1894–1937
Known for
Invention of radio
  • Inventing the
    monopole antenna (1895)
  • Inventing the
    magnetic detector (1902)
Political partyPNF (1923–37)
Spouses
Beatrice O'Brien
(m. 1905; div. 1924)
    Maria Bezzi-Scali
    (m. 1927)
    Children5 (4 with Beatrice, 1 with Maria)
    Family
    • Jameson (by birth)
    • O'Brien (by marriage)
    Awards
    • Matteucci Medal (1901)
    • Nobel Prize in Physics (1909)
    • RSA Albert Medal (1914)
    • Franklin Medal (1918)
    • John Scott Medal (1931)
    • Wilhelm Exner Medal (1934)
    Engineering career
    DisciplineRadio-frequency engineering
    Employer(s)Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company (founder)
    Awards
    • IRE Medal of Honor (1920)
    • John Fritz Medal (1923)
    • Kelvin Gold Medal (1932)
    Academic background
    InfluencesAugusto Righi
    Signature

    Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi (/mɑːrˈkni/ mar-KOH-nee;[1] Italian: [ɡuʎˈʎɛlmo marˈkoːni]; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian[2][3][4][5] electrical engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based wireless telegraph system.[6] This led to Marconi being largely credited as the inventor of radio[7] and sharing the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Ferdinand Braun "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy".[8][9][10] His work laid the foundation for the development of radio, television, and all modern wireless communication systems.[11]

    Marconi was also an entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company (which became the Marconi Company) in the United Kingdom in 1897. In 1929, Marconi was ennobled as a marquess (Italian: marchese) by Victor Emmanuel III. In 1931, he set up Vatican Radio for Pope Pius XI.

    1. ^ "Marconi – Definition & Meaning". dictionary.com. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
    2. ^ "Guglielmo Marconi | Italian physicist". Encyclopædia Britannica. 21 April 2023.
    3. ^ "This week in tech". The Daily Telegraph. London. 28 April 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
    4. ^ "Guglielmo Marconi". History. 27 March 2023.
    5. ^ Gavin Weightman, The Industrial Revolutionaries: The Making of the Modern World 1776–1914, Grove/Atlantic, Inc. 2010. p. 357.
    6. ^ Bondyopadhyay, Prebir K. (1995). "Guglielmo Marconi – The father of long-distance radio communication – An engineer's tribute". 25th European Microwave Conference, 1995. p. 879. doi:10.1109/EUMA.1995.337090. S2CID 6928472.
    7. ^ Hong, p. 1
    8. ^ "Guglielmo Marconi: The Nobel Prize in Physics". nobelprize.org. 1909.
    9. ^ Bondyopadhyay, P. K. (1998). "Sir J.C. Bose diode detector received Marconi's first transatlantic wireless signal of December 1901 (the 'Italian Navy Coherer' Scandal Revisited)". Proceedings of the IEEE. 86: 259. doi:10.1109/5.658778.
    10. ^ Roy, Amit (8 December 2008). "Cambridge 'pioneer' honour for Bose". The Telegraph. Kolkota. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
    11. ^ "Marconi forged today's interconnected world of communication". New Scientist. New Scientist Ltd. Retrieved 28 June 2024.