Tesla vs Marconi — broadcast 8/22 at 8 pm central. The segment, part of a series of Machines That Made America focuses on the battle between Tesla and Marconi over the development of radio.
Watch The Machines That Built America
S1 E7
Tesla vs. Marconi
42m | 2021 | TV-PG | CC
In 1893, sending information across America is a time-consuming process. Letters travel slowly by land, and those who can afford it, send telegrams along a limited network of fixed wires. But two rival inventors have the same idea for improving things: wireless communication. Nikola Tesla is one of the most famous and successful thinkers of his day, single-handedly changing the way electricity is supplied and generated. Guglielmo Marconi is a young, uneducated Italian inventor who ignores scientific consensus and goes with his gut. Both want to rid the world of wires and send messages through the air. With millions of dollars on the line, the two men battle to dominate the new market and bring radio to the masses.
