The Father of Radio:
A Brief Chronology of the Origin and
Development of Wireless Communications
Magdalena Salazar-Palma1, Alejandro Garcia-Lamperez1, Tapan K Sarkar, and
Dipak L. Sengupta3
1Departmen t of Signal Theory & Communications
Universidad Carlos 1 11 de Madrid
Avenida de la Universidad, 30, 28911 Legan es, Madrid, Spain
E-mail: salazar@tsc.uc3m.es . alamparez@tsc.uc3m.es
2Departmen t of Electrical Eng ineering and Computer Sc ience
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York 1 3244-1 240, USA
E-mail: tksarkar@syr.edu
http://Ics.syr.edu/facul ty/sarkar/
3Department of Electrical Eng ineer ing and Computer Science
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
1 301 Seal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 481 09-21 22, U SA
E-mail: sengupdl@eecs.um ich.edu
Abstract
This paper presents a chronology of the origin and development of wireless (or rad io) commun ications. It fol lows the
following pattern. It gives credit to some of the scientists who provided the ini tial observat ions and understanding of
electric and magnetic phenomena. I t then mentions the experiments and inven tions carried ou t toward the evolu tion
of scientif ic and eng ineering models. F inally, it focuses on the implementation of practical wireless systems. The
chronology leads us to conclude that the invention and developmen t of wireless/rad io systems can neither be credited
to one individual nor to one specif ic country. The chronology strongly ind icates an overlapp ing of human thinking in time
in many countries. This compelled us to not make a defini tive choice of an individual (or coun try) for the well-deserved
credit. We leave i t up to the reader to make her or his own choice!
1. Introduction
T
he term "wireless " indicates communication without the
use of wires. f course, such a term maybe applied to
visual signaling systems, or to mechanical-optical systems such
as those invented by the French engineer Claude Chappe, with
the help of the French watchmaker, Abraham-Louis Brguet.
Here, the word wireless refers to communication systems that
involve electromagnetic signals. Various mechanisms were
tried for such purposes: electrostatic coupling, conduction,
magnetic induction, and electrmagnetic radiation or waves.
The frst three, while indeed wireless, were extremely limited in
the distance they were capable of covering. The breakthrough
in wireless communications was the successful use of the
fourth mechanism, which allowed long-distance transmission.
The term radio was coined as a short name for electromagnetic
radiation. Hence, it is possible to speak of some wireless
systems as not being radio systems. However, because all
the other types of wireless mechanisms were abandoned,
nowadays the word "wireless " is synonymous with "radio. "
Because the earliest radio communications used Morse's code
for transmitting information, i.e., they were telegraph systems,
I Antennas and Propagation Magaine, Vol. 53, No. 6, December 201 1 ISSN 1045-9243/2011/$26 ©2011 IEEE 83