Marconi Communications North America Inc history

Guglielmo Marconi was born in Bologna, Italy on April 25, 1874 to a wealthy Italian father and an Irish mother.

1886: The General Electric Apparatus Company is founded by Gustav Binswanger (later Byng) and Hugo Hirst.

In 1888 the firm acquired its first factory, in Manchester, to manufacture telephones, electric bells, ceiling roses, and switches.

GEC developed the use of china as an insulating material in switches and began manufacturing light bulbs in 1893.

1894-96 First Transmitter – First Patent

In the early summer of 1895 and despite an intervening hill, Marconi achieved signal transmission and reception over a distance of about 2km.

In January 1896 the young Marconi began to consider applying for a patent for his invention and in February he travelled to Britain.

In 1897 he set up an aerial and installed his apparatus in the grounds of the Royal Needles Hotel, Alum Bay, and succeeded first in communicating with two hired ferry boats and then with a station set up at Madeira House in Bournemouth on the mainland.

In December 1898, the first wireless factory in the world was set up in an old silk factory in Hall Street.

In March 1899, Marconi transmitted the first wireless message across the English Channel.

In April 1900, Marconi’s successful method of separating signals through tuning was granted a patent.

On 12 December 1901, a blustering gale at Signal Hill made it difficult for Marconi and his assistants to launch the aerial on its kite, but at 12.30, 1.10 and 2.20, he was able to pick up the three dots of the Morse code ‘S’ that were being transmitted from Poldhu.

In 1902 GEC built its first factory, the Witton Engineering Works, near Birmingham.

He was created Chevalier of the Civil Order of Savoy in 1905.

Running like a disruptive thread through the Marconi tapestry, was the controversial plan to link the British Empire by a network of wireless communication stations, first mooted in 1906.

His pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission, his development of the Marconi's law, and the radio telegraph system led him to sharing the Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun in 1909 "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy."

1910: Hugo Hirst, later Lord Hirst, takes control of the company as chairman and managing director, following Byng's death.

In 1912, a lawsuit against United Wireless resulted in the merger of the two companies.

In 1913, a new site was purchased and construction begun for the station’s new home.

In 1914, Marconi built a high-powered wireless receivers in Chatham with transmitters 40 miles away.

In 1918 GEC took over Fraser & Chalmers, a heavy engineering firm, and the following year it established Britain's first separate industrial research laboratories at Wembley, headed by Sir J.J. Thompson, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist.

1919: GEC establishes Britain's first separate industrial research laboratories at Wembley.

On 15th June 1920, Britain’s first advertised public broadcast programme took place.

In 1921, the Company was permitted to broadcast the first regular public entertainment programme from a low-power transmitter at Writtle, near Chelmsford, and later from the first London station at Marconi House.

In 1923, he developed a short-wave beam system.

1924 The ‘Beam System’ Developed

The Imperial Wireless Chain proved such a great threat to the Empire’s cable interests that, in 1929 at the instigation of the British and Dominion Governments, Cable and Wireless Ltd was formed to take over the investments, patents and licences of Marconi’s Wireless Telegraphy Company.

1932 First Microwave Telephone Link

In 1937 the Company acquired the expertise to fulfil Government orders for transmitter aerials for CH (Chain Home) stations, Britain's first air defence radar network.

In the late 1960’s, Synanon began to de-emphasize its rehabilitation programs, and became a self-declared “alternative lifestyle community.” At its height, it had about 1700 members, a large number of whom lived at the Marshall property.

In 1961 GEC took over Radio and Allied Industries, which manufactured radio and television sets.

The acquisition brought Arnold Weinstock to GEC, and he took over as managing director in 1963.

In 1967 GEC acquired Associated Electrical Industries (AEI), which included Metropolitan-Vickers, BTH, Edison Swan, Siemens Bros., Hotpoint, and W.T. Henley.

1968: GEC merges with English Electric.

In 1975, Synanon underwent another transformation, declaring itself a “church” and amassing a large cache of weapons.

In 1979, a series of Pulitzer Prize-winning articles by the local newspaper, The Point Reyes Light, began to expose Synanon’s finances, internal practices and abuses in the local community.

The state of California launched a special investigation into Synanon’s affairs and in 1980 Charles Dedrich, long-time leader of the organization, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.

For fiscal 1985 (ending March 31) GEC turned a profit worth $590 million.

In August 1986 the British government's Monopolies and Mergers Commission ruled the takeover would be against public interest because it would reduce competition.

GEC Avionics was a leading supplier of various systems and displays, and in 1987 acquired the flight control division of Lear Siegler as well as Developmental Sciences Corp., which manufactured remotely piloted vehicles.

1988: GEC and Plessey Co. plc form a telecommunications joint venture, GPT.

Four years later they transferred the property to the California State Parks Foundation, which in turn gifted the property to the State of California as a conference center in 1989.

The Marconi Conference Center opened its doors in January of 1990.

By 1991 GEC was the fifth largest electronics firm in Europe.

Although Plessey rejected the offer, consolidation in the European central office switch market appeared inevitable, given the high cost of developing next-generation switches and the coming 1992 unification of the European marketplace.

In 1994 GEC entered into a joint venture with Italian state-owned Finmeccanica SpA of Rome for civil and military radio communications, electronics, and telematic products.

In 1995 GEC acquired Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd., and Lord Weinstock retired to become chairman emeritus the following year.

In 1996, Lord George Simpson took over as managing director, bringing with him a wave of new corporate management.

The station linked with another station in Norway which after being bought by RCA remained in operation until 1997.

In February 1998 the firm's head office moved to One Bruton Street, London.