Date context
1857–1894
Experimental work in Karlsruhe
Born in Hamburg, Hertz held a physics professorship in Karlsruhe from 1885 to 1889. There he investigated rapid electrical oscillations and wave propagation using spark-producing apparatus and a separate receiver, making the detection of an electrical disturbance possible without a connecting wire.
Generating and detecting waves
Experiments between 1886 and 1888 generated, detected and investigated electromagnetic waves; a report in 1888 discussed rays of electric force. These non-visible waves supplied experimental support for the propagation predicted by Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory.
Testing wave properties
By changing the arrangement of transmitting and receiving equipment, Hertz investigated properties including reflection and polarization. Such tests compared wave behaviour across different frequency ranges; the significance went beyond observing a small spark in a remote detector.
From experiment to communications
Wireless telegraphy, broadcasting and later communications required further developments in tuning, antennas, signalling and engineering. Hertz established crucial experimental foundations. He left Karlsruhe for Bonn in 1889 and died there in 1894, before those technologies became widespread.