Guglielmo Marconi

Been a while since a history lesson.
Guglielmo Marconi, a name synonymous with the first Atlantic wireless telegraph right? Well yes he is, but Marconi wasn't your normal inventor that sits in a darkened room for years tinkering. Born in Bologna Italy Marconi made his name in history in 1909 when he won the Nobel Price for contributions to the field of wireless telegraphy. His design for creating, now common radiowaves that could traverse the vast stretch of Atlantic between Europe and the Americas was based roughly on Heinrich Hertz's work of aetheric waves. To cut a long story short Marconi boshed together bits of other peoples inventions to make a practical use of radiowaves (one that is now all too common). His claims we always prone to being rubbished by skeptics, especially when Marconi had no actual proof, just his word. What was always fascinating about Marconi was his social underlife that was always one of the key driving forces for his peers shooting him down. He was an outgoing fascist, quite fitting that until the Euro he was the face of the 2000 Lire note, and even attended Mussolini's wedding as his best man! Marconi having been banned from speaking on the BBC, and almost being single handedly blamed for the lack of communication from the sinking Titanic (it was his radios on board!), died at the age of 63. Although the world of science looks on Marconi as an illusionist rather than a Nobel prize winning scientist the people of Italy regard him as a great.

The Secret Machines (finally got there!), released their own tribute to Marconi (though completely instrumental). The band themselves are currenlty recovering from the loss of their guitarist, who has now set out to start a new band. The School of Seven Bells are made up of Benjamin Curtis (formally of The Secret Machines) and also include Claudia Deheza. Claudia herself was in another of my favourite recent bands On!Air!Library! who created Sleater-Kinney-esque-girlrock. And thats where I started from, On!Air!Library!, and I got to going on about Marconi for twenty minutes, Wednesdays are long and dull!

The Secret Machines - Marconi's Radio
The Secret Machines - Lightening Blue Eyes
The Secret Machines - Nowhere Again
School of Seven Bells - For Kalaja Mari
On!Air!Library - Feb