The global economy is dependent on fast and effective communications, which is why the work of Guglielmo Marconi is so important.

Despite being referred to as the ‘father of radio’ it is significant that it wasn’t Marconi who first created radio waves, which was the work of the German inventor HR Hertz. However, it was Marconi that extended their range, made them practical, and built transmitters and receivers that were sold worldwide.

Despite being of Italian birth Marconi had to travel to Britain to find an audience receptive to his ideas. The Wireless Telegraph Trading Signal Company was founded in 1897 in Chelmsford and would later receive its founder’s name. But along with being a great innovator Marconi also had the stomach for a fight.

Throughout his life he was a controversial figure who made many enemies: his ‘first successful transatlantic radio broadcast’ in 1901 was unverified and disputed by others. He is tainted by his active involvement in Mussolini’s Fascistic Italy. Also, scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla claimed that much of Marconi’s work was based on his own and tried to sue, although after a lengthy legal battle Marconi was vindicated, having crucial patents in place to back his claims.

He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909, and his work can be seen as a precursor to the ‘global village’ we live in today.

What he taught us:

■ Fight for what you believe in

■ Patent your ideas

■ Build on the ideas of others as you can profit from their innovations

What he said:

"Every day sees humanity more victorious in the struggle with space and time"

"It has always been my policy to accomplish a thing first, and to speak of it afterwards"

FACTFILE

Born: April 25 1874, Bologna, Italy

Died: July 20 1937 (heart failure)

Achievements: Conducted pioneering work that led to the creation of the radio

Tell me something I didn’t know: Upon arrival in the UK his radio equipment was mistaken for weaponry and destroyed by British customs officials.