This date in 1874 saw the birth of Radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi. 10 facts you might not know about him:
His mother was from Wexford, Ireland, and her grandfather was John Jameson, the founder of Whiskey distillers Jameson & Sons). It was those connections which helped Marconi establish his company in London in 1897.
He was educated at home by a series of private tutors hired by his parents.
He developed an interest in radio waves at a young age and by the age of 20 was experimenting with them in his attic at home with help from his butler, Mignani. Marconi correctly surmised, even then, that he would eventually be able to connect any two points on earth by wireless, even though the physics establishment of the time dismissed the possibility.
He married twice. His first wife was The Hon. Beatrice O'Brien, a daughter of The 14th Baron Inchiquin. They married in 1905 and honeymooned on Brownsea Island. Beatrice served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elena. They divorced in 1924 and Marconi married Maria Cristina Bezzi-Scali, daughter of Francesco, Count Bezzi-Scali. Before he could marry her, he had to be confirmed in the Catholic faith. For unexplained reasons, Marconi left his entire fortune to his second wife and their only child, and nothing to the children of his first marriage.
Marconi built the world’s first international shortwave broadcast station, Vatican Radio, which went on the air in 1931. That year, he introduced the first radio broadcast of a Pope, Pius XI. Marconi said, "With the help of God, who places so many mysterious forces of nature at man's disposal, I have been able to prepare this instrument which will give to the faithful of the entire world the joy of listening to the voice of the Holy Father". A street in the Vatican Gardens is named after Marconi.
He won the Nobel prize for physics in 1909, the first inventor-entrepreneur to win one. It was also the first time the prize had been awarded for a practical application rather than theoretical accomplishments. He shared the prize with German physicist Ferdinand Braun. Had it not been for public worries about the safety of flying machines, however, the prize that year would probably have gone to the Wright Brothers.
After his invention played a vital role in rescuing survivors of the Titanic, which was fitted with a transmitter and was able to send a distress signal to the Carpathia, Marconi was one of the witnesses called by the US Senate Inquiry into the disaster. He advocated that ships at sea should be obliged to operate their wireless equipment round the clock, which was endorsed by the committee.
During World War I, Marconi was placed in charge of the Italian military's radio service. In 1929, he was made a marquess by King Victor Emmanuel III. He was, however, a member of the Fascist party. In 1930, Mussolini appointed him President of the Royal Academy of Italy, which made Marconi a member of the Fascist Grand Council. The story that the Italian dictator was the best man at Marconi’s second wedding is not true, however. Marconi invited Mussolini to his wedding, but Mussolini said he was too busy and only sent a telegram.
Marconi lived on a boat for a couple of decades. It was a 220-foot yacht called Elettra (or “spark”), built for an Austrian prince. Marconi bought it from the British government after the First World War. He equipped it with a wireless research lab and a staff of 35, and named his youngest daughter Elettra.
Marconi died in Rome on 20 July 1937 at age 63. Over the previous three years he’d suffered eight heart attacks. The ninth killed him. When Marconi died, radio stations all over the world went silent in his honour. The largest wreath at his funeral was sent by Adolph Hitler.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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