Heinrich Hertz's discovery of electromagnetic waves enables modern wireless technology

Physicist Heinrich Hertz, born in Hamburg in 1857, made a fundamental discovery in the late 19th century that serves as the basis for modern wireless technology. While working in Karlsruhe, Hertz experimentally proved the existence of electromagnetic waves, confirming the theories of Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell.

This breakthrough laid the essential groundwork for the development of radio, television, mobile communications, and modern Wi-Fi. Researchers from the University of Hamburg describe his work as a “prerequisite for our current communication and media age.”

Hertz died in Bonn in 1894 at the age of 36, before the full impact of his discovery could be realized. His legacy persists through the frequency unit “Hertz” (Hz) and the Heinrich-Hertz-Turm television tower in Hamburg.