1886-1932

Canadian Electrical Engineer and Inventor

A disciple of Thomas Edison (1847-1931), Fessenden made major contributions to wireless telephony and radio. In 1906 he made the first broadcast of voice and music from Brant Rock, Massachusetts. The principle of using electromagnetic waves to send detailed information over great distances to one or more receivers was central to many of the most significant technologies of the twentieth century.

"Reg" Fessenden was born in East Bolton, Quebec, where his father was a minister. Although the family moved to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Fessenden returned to Quebec, where he completed his bachelor's degree at Bishop's College while teaching high school mathematics. Fessenden changed jobs frequently during his life, alternating between academics and industry. He was a school principal in Bermuda, from 1884-86, where he met his future wife, Helen, but he returned to New York to work for Edison...