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20 gadgets that changed the world

See the top inventions that changed the way we live.

5. RADIO In 1894 the young Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi began working on the idea of building a commercial wireless telegraphy system based on the use of Hertzian waves (radio waves), a line of inquiry that he noted other inventors did not seem to be pursuing.[19] Marconi read through the literature and used the ideas of others who were experimenting with radio waves but did a great deal to develop devices such as portable transmitters and receiver systems that could work over long distances, turning what was essentially a laboratory experiment into useful communication system. By August 1895 Marconi was field testing his system but even with improvements he was only able to transmit signals up to 1/2 mile, a distance Oliver Lodge had predicted in 1894 as the maximum transmission distance for radio waves. Marconi raised the height of his antenna and hit upon the idea of grounding his transmitter and receiver. With these improvements the system was capable of transmitting signals up to 2 miles (3.2 km) and over hills Marconi's experimental apparatus proved to be the first engineering complete, commercially successful radio transmission system. Marconi’s apparatus is also credited for saving the 700 people that survived the tragic Titanic disaster. Phyllis and Edmund Decann take a break on the tailgate of their sport utility vehcile with their radios on display as they took part in an antique radio meet in Plymouth, Minn., Friday, May 16, 2003. The Decann's, who live in Osakis, Minn., buy, sell, repair and restore old radios. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
5. RADIO In 1894 the young Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi began working on the idea of building a commercial wireless telegraphy system based on the use of Hertzian waves (radio waves), a line of inquiry that he noted other inventors did not seem to be pursuing.[19] Marconi read through the literature and used the ideas of others who were experimenting with radio waves but did a great deal to develop devices such as portable transmitters and receiver systems that could work over long distances, turning what was essentially a laboratory experiment into useful communication system. By August 1895 Marconi was field testing his system but even with improvements he was only able to transmit signals up to 1/2 mile, a distance Oliver Lodge had predicted in 1894 as the maximum transmission distance for radio waves. Marconi raised the height of his antenna and hit upon the idea of grounding his transmitter and receiver. With these improvements the system was capable of transmitting signals up to 2 miles (3.2 km) and over hills Marconi's experimental apparatus proved to be the first engineering complete, commercially successful radio transmission system. Marconi’s apparatus is also credited for saving the 700 people that survived the tragic Titanic disaster. Phyllis and Edmund Decann take a break on the tailgate of their sport utility vehcile with their radios on display as they took part in an antique radio meet in Plymouth, Minn., Friday, May 16, 2003. The Decann's, who live in Osakis, Minn., buy, sell, repair and restore old radios. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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