Tesla, Marconi, and the Invention of Radio
Dueling Wireless Giants, 1890-1920
Bernard Carlson
Professor Emeritus
University of Virginia & University of Galway
Sponsored by PSW Science Member A.C. Charania
About the Lecture
A core technology of the modern world is the use of electromagnetic or radio waves for the transfer of messages and energy. If one consults almost any textbook, you would be informed that modern radio was invented single-handedly by Guglielmo Marconi. However, the actual story is far more interesting and revealing much about how technological change really occurs. In this lecture, I will narrate the invention of radio as a race between two rivals, Marconi and Nikola Tesla, focusing on the technical and business choices each man made in response to the other. In doing so, I want to suggest how modern technologies are shaped by personality, business strategy, as well as twists and turns in patent litigation—all with an eye to how we should be preparing the next generation of innovators.
Selected Reading & Media References
Richard Barnett, “The Greatest Geek,” London Review of Books, Vol. 37, No. 3 (5 February 2015), https://www.lrb.co.uk/contributors/richard-barnett
Tesla lecture at Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8sUWaKuQfc
About the Speaker
W. Bernard Carlson is the Joseph L. Vaughan Professor Emeritus of Humanities at the University of Virginia and recently retired as Program Manager for the AgInnovation program at the University of Galway, Ireland. Before moving to Galway in 2021, he chaired the Department of Engineering and Society. While at UVa, Bernie also held joint appointments in the History Department and the Bjoring Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry.
At UVA he played a central role in launching formal programs that integrate engineering with entrepreneurship, strengthening the pathways for students seeking to bring new technologies to market. Bernard continued this work as the manager of the AgInnovation program where over the last six years he helped over 200 adult learners create new businesses.
As a historian of technology, Bernard has written widely on innovation and entrepreneurship as well as on the role of technology in the rise and fall of civilizations. His books include Innovation as a Social Process: Elihu Thomson and the Rise of General Electric, 1870-1900 (Cambridge University Press, 1991), Technology in World History, 7 volumes (Oxford University Press, 2005) and Electrical Conquest: New Approaches to the History of Electrification (Springer, 2023). He has been particularly interested in understanding the creative processes behind invention and the ways technology reshapes business and society.
With support from the Sloan Foundation, Bernard wrote Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age. Published by Princeton University Press, the book has been translated into eleven languages. For his Tesla book, Bernard won both the Sally Hacker Prize from the Society for the History of Technology as well as the William Middleton Prize from the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
In addition to his books, Bernard filmed 36 lectures on “Understanding the Inventions that Changed the World” for The Teaching Company. He has just finished recording six audio lectures for The Teaching Company to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. Bernard has also written provocative pieces on innovation for Forbes.com and other digital outlets and has an active business as an innovation consultant.
Bernard studied history and physics as an undergraduate at Holy Cross College, received his Ph.D. in the history and sociology of science from the University of Pennsylvania, and did his postdoctoral work at the Harvard Business School.
Webpage: https://innovationwithbernard.ie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/w-bernard-carlson-a25704/