Newfoundland’s Contribution to Early Wireless Communications

When we think of wireless communications, we think of cell phones, PDAs, and other handheld devices that allow us to roam freely while tormenting those around us in supermarkets, movie theatres, and on public transit. Wireless technology is a facet of modern-day life. But have you ever stopped and wondered how it all came about?

I’m sure from reading the title, many folks would probably think that Newfoundland’s contribution to the wireless communications is a paper plane with a note written on it. I invite those people to read the following brief, before getting on with their daily routine, such as reading Margaret Wente, or sticking their head back in their a**.

Anyway, in 1901, an Italian, Guglielmo Marconi, believed that radio waves could travel with the curvature of the earth. This went against the accepted theory of the day, which believed that radio waves traveled in a straight line from their point of origin into outer space. By proving otherwise, Marconi could demonstrate that communicating with offshore ships was possible. In essence, he would introduce wireless telegraphy to the world. He did not invent wireless communications, as scientists such as Tesla, Hertz, and Lodge made important discoveries in radio communications leading up to this. However, he is regarded as the individual who took wireless telegraphy out of the lab and into the general public for its use.

What does this have to do with Newfoundland? The point he selected to receive that wireless transmission was Signal Hill, in St. John’s (the transmission was sent from Cornwall, England). Given its location as the most easterly point in North America, it made geographical sense. Plus the original site in Cape Cod, Massachusetts was destroyed in a storm.

For more details on how the experiment transpired, click on the following link. Or for the movie version, click here. Below is a picture of Marconi (left) and his assistants getting ready for the wireless experiment.