From Electric Oscillations to Marconi's Wireless Telegraph

Abstract

This paper presents some experiments recreating the electrical oscillations historically observed by Kelvin in a telegraph cable up to the Weber-Kolhrausch experiment, which provided a hint of the existence of electromagnetic waves. Hertz's experiment in 1888 was the first to prove Maxwell's theory. The subsequent development of wireless telegraphy required new devices: the Ruhmkorff inductor, the Righi oscillator, and the Branly receiver. With these instruments, young Marconi managed to set up the first radiotelegraphy experiment.