Heinrich Rudolf Hertz

Heinrich Hertz was a German physicist who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of electromagnetism. He was the first to conclusively prove the existence of electromagnetic waves by generating and detecting them in his laboratory. He also discovered the photoelectric effect, which showed that light can eject electrons from a metal surface. His experiments confirmed the validity of James Clerk Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism and paved the way for the development of radio, television, radar, and other wireless technologies. Hertz was also interested in contact mechanics, optics, meteorology, and geophysics. He published several papers and books on his research, including Electric Waves (1893) and Principles of Mechanics (1894). He received many honors and awards for his work, such as the Matteucci Medal (1888) and the Rumford Medal (1890). He died at the age of 36 from blood poisoning caused by an infection in a wound he received while working on a cathode ray tube. He was buried in Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg, where a monument was erected in his memory. His name is commemorated in the SI unit of frequency, the hertz (Hz), which is equal to one cycle per second. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern physics and one of the greatest scientists of all time.