Reginald Fessenden | |
|---|---|
 Portrait photograph of Reginald Fessenden from Harper's Weekly Magazine, 1903 | |
| Born | October 6, 1866 |
| Died | July 22, 1932 (aged 65) Bermuda (buried St. Mark's Church cemetery) |
| Nationality | Canadian and American[1] |
| Education | Bishop's College School, University of Bishop's College (dropped out) |
| Occupation | Inventor |
| Known for | Radiotelephony, sonar, Amplitude modulation |
| Spouse | Helen May Trott Fessenden |
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (October 6, 1866 – July 22, 1932) was a Canadian-born American inventor who received hundreds of patents in various fields, most notably ones related to radio and sonar.
Fessenden is best known for his pioneering work developing radio technology, including the foundations of amplitude modulation (AM) radio. His achievements included the first transmission of speech by radio (1900), and the first two-way radiotelegraphic communication across the Atlantic Ocean (1906). In 1932 he reported that, in late 1906, he also made the first radio broadcast of entertainment and music, although a lack of verifiable details has led to some doubts about this claim.
He did a majority of his work in the United States and, in addition to his Canadian citizenship, claimed U.S. citizenship through his American-born father.[1]
- ^ a b " Reginald Fessenden U.S. passport application "Form for Native Citizen", dated August 26, 1914. The signed and notarized application stated that Fessenden was a "native and loyal citizen of the United States" who held U.S. birthright citizenship through his American-born father. In addition, although for his early U.S. patents Fessenden listed his citizenship as Canadian, in a majority of his subsequent applications he described himself as "a citizen of the United States".