Milestones:Marconi's Early Experiments in Wireless Telegraphy, 1895

MARCONI’S EARLY EXPERIMENTS IN WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY, 1895 In this garden, after the experiments carried out between 1894 and 1895 in the “Silkworm Room” in the attic of Villa Griffone, Guglielmo Marconi connected a grounded antenna to its transmitter. With this apparatus the young inventor was able to transmit radiotelegraphic signals beyond a physical obstacle, the Celestini hill, at a distance of about two kilometres. The experiment heralded the birth of the era of wireless communication.

MARCONI’S EARLY EXPERIMENTS IN WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY, 1895 On this hill, during the summer of 1895, the radiotelegraphic signals sent by Guglielmo Marconi from the garden of Villa Griffone were received. The reception was communicated to Marconi with a gunshot. This event marked the beginning of the new era of wireless communication

The plaques may be viewed at the two sites in which Marconi carried out his first experiments: in the garden of Villa Griffone (his family home, now the site of the Fundazione Guglielmo Marconi), where Marconi transmitted his wireless signals, and beyond the Celestini hill, where those signals were received. Villa Griffone, Marconi's family home in the second half of the 19th century, is now the site of the Guglielmo Marconi Foundation and of the Marconi Museum, which includes the young Marconi's laboratory, on the upper floor of the villa.

The two plaques can be viewed at the two sites in which Marconi carried out his first experiments: in the garden of Villa Griffone (his family home, now the site of the Fundazione Guglielmo Marconi), where Marconi transmitted his wireless signals, and beyond the Celestini hill, where those signals were received. Villa Griffone, Marconi's family home in the second half of the 19th century, is now the site of the Guglielmo Marconi Foundation and of the Marconi Museum, which includes the young Marconi's laboratory, on the upper floor of the villa.

The villa has custodians and the Marconi Museum has a staff for guided visits (arranged by reservation)

Guglielmo Marconi's first experiments in wireless telegraphy marked the beginning of radio communication. The technical system for wireless telegraphy needed fundamental improvements of the instruments used at the time for experiments with electromagnetic waves. In particular, Marconi conceived the grounded antenna and after many experiments he decided to use lower frequencies.

Marconi's first experiments in wireless telegraphy were aimed at communicating without wires at increasing ranges. With this goal, he took the instruments that were being used for important experiments on electromagnetic waves in different universities out of the laboratory, in order to overcome natural obstacles. In the garden of his fathers villa, he was finally able to overcome the Celestini hill, at a distance of about 2 km. His use of the grounded antenna and of a very sensitive coherer were two crucial elements for the accomplishment.

INNOVATION MAP

<googlemap controls="small" height="250" width="300" zoom="10" lon="11.26719" lat="44.431296" version="0.9"> 44.431296, 11.26719, Marconi's Early Experiments in Wireless Telegraphy, 1895 Villa Griffone, Ponteccio, Italy </googlemap>