Sir Francis Ronalds | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Sir Francis Ronalds painted in 1867 | |
| Born | 21 February 1788 City of London, England |
| Died | 8 August 1873 (aged 85) Battle, East Sussex, England |
| Known for | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, electrical engineering, applied mechanics, meteorology, photography, archaeology |
Sir Francis Ronalds FRS (21 February 1788 – 8 August 1873) was an English scientist and inventor, and arguably the first electrical engineer.[1] He was knighted for creating the first working electric telegraph over a substantial distance.[2] In 1816 he laid an 8-mile (13 km) length of iron wire between wooden frames in his mother's garden and sent pulses using electrostatic generators.
- ^ Ronalds, B.F. (July 2016). "Francis Ronalds (1788–1873): The First Electrical Engineer?". Proceedings of the IEEE. doi:10.1109/JPROC.2016.2571358. S2CID 20662894.
- ^ Appleyard, R. (1930). Pioneers of Electrical Communication. Macmillan.