It is unfortunate that Reginald Fessenden is not better remembered for his greatest accomplishment, which was eclipsed by the achievements of his contemporaries. Born on October 6, 1866, in Milton, Quebec, Fessenden was the son of a minister. He chose not to follow in those footsteps because his true calling was in science.

In 1886, Fessenden moved to New York City and started working at the Edison Machine Works. The following year, Thomas Alva Edison recognized Fessenden's talents and promoted him to the position of chief chemist at his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey. Fessenden stayed with Edison for only three years. In 1890, he moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he was chief electrician for Edison's competitor, Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Two years later, he was a professor of engineering at Purdue University, and from 1893 to 1900 he taught at the Western University of Pennsylvania (now University of Pittsburgh) where he held the...