Alexander Popov: The Real Father of Radio?

For his pioneering work with wireless telegraphy, Italian electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi is widely regarded as the father of radio. His experiments with sending wireless messages began with a distance of about one and a half miles from locations at his father's estate in Pontecchio in 1895 to over 2,000 miles -from Cornwall, England to Newfoundland, Canada- just six years later. In 1909, the 35-year old Marconi shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with German scientist Karl Braun. By then, few remembered or acknowledged the contributions of the late Russian physicist Alexander Popov.

Originally intending to follow his father's calling as a priest, Popov enrolled in a seminary, but upon graduating, turned his attention to scientific pursuits. Shortly after completing his studies and a brief teaching stint at Saint Petersburg University, Popov conducted research on electrical engineering at the Russian Navy's torpedo school at Kronstadt, in the Gulf of Finland.

During his tenure at Kronstadt wireless relay stations were established at his urging on Gogland Island in the Gulf of Finland and at Kotka on the Finnish coast, and were instrumental in securing help for the crews of two stranded ships in 1897. From 1901 until his death in 1906, Popov taught at the Imperial Institute of Electrical Engineering in Saint Petersburg.

Five years before Marconi patented his wireless telegraph in 1900, Popov had invented an instrument capable of detecting electromagnetic waves that indicated the presence of electrical discharges, specifically lightning, in the atmosphere. The design of Popov's lightning detector was similar to that of Marconi's wireless telegraph, but Popov's invention focused on receiving rather than transmitting signals.

Both men had extrapolated upon the work of earlier physicists, namely Heinrich Hertz and Oliver Lodge, but Popov's was the first to incorporate an antenna. Another significant discovery of Popov's came in 1897, when he found that metallic objects could interfere with the transmission of radio waves, a phenomenon known as wave reflection.

Marconi was as much of a businessman as he was a scientist, founding his own telegraph company in 1897 and vigorously promoting his work. Popov was more concerned with research for its own sake, and not so much about ensuring that he received proper credit. This may explain his subordinate historical role (Hebrew University). Popov never received a Nobel Prize, but was awarded the Grand Gold Medal at the Paris International Exposition of 1900.

For over 60 years, May 7 has been celebrated in Russia as "Radio Day." The national holiday was established in 1945 on the 50th anniversary of when Popov demonstrated his lightning detector to members of the Russian Physical and Chemical Society. The following day, May 8, 1945, is commemorated as VE (Victory in Europe) Day, when Germany surrendered to Allied forces.

"Marconi, Guglielmo." Webster's New World Encylopedia. 1992.

"Popov, Alexander." Ibid.

"Marconi, Guglielmo." The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. 2nd Edition. 1993.

"Guglielmo Marconi." Nobel Lectures, Physics 1901-1921. Elsevier Publishing Co.:
Amsterdam, 1967.

"Alexander Stepanovich Popov." Institute of Chemistry. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
3 Oct. 2007