Heinrich Hertz Found Radio Waves

In the late 1880s, German physicist Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of radio waves by generating and detecting electromagnetic waves in his laboratory. His experiments confirmed a major prediction of Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory. When people asked Hertz about the practical use of his discovery, he reportedly said, "Nothing, I guess," and described it as having "no use whatsoever." The discovery later became foundational to radio, television, radar, and wireless communication, even though Hertz himself did not see that future.

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