Heinrich Hertz was one of the pioneers of radio communication and a leading German scientists of the nineteenth century. In 1878, Hertz began studying at the Berlin Academy under Hermann Helmholtz who recognized and encouraged his pupil's talent (later Hertz became his assistant). It was in Karlsruhe that Hertz made his greatest contribution to the study of electromagnetism, when he discovered radiowaves in 1887. He showed that these waves behaved like light and radiant heat (infrared radiation), confirming Maxwell's predictions, and later went on to determine their speeds, showing that they could be reflected, refracted and diffracted. Hertz's discovery was instrumental to the work of Marconi and others who developed its practical applications, something Hertz was not concerned about. After several years of ill health, he died of blood poisoning before he was able to see Marconi make radiowaves a practical means of communication. The SI unit of frequency is named in his honour.
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