Historedia
EuropeEvent

Heinrich Hertz verifies the existence of electromagnetic waves

When
1886–1889
Where
University of Karlsruhe
Episodes
2

Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist, conclusively proved the existence of electromagnetic waves proposed by James Clerk Maxwell. In 1886, while a professor at the University of Karlsruhe, Hertz began experiments that confirmed Maxwell's predictions, establishing that light and these waves were forms of electromagnetic radiation.

Episodes

  1. 1886 · University of KarlsruheObservation of Spark in Riess Spirals

    Hertz observed that discharging a Leyden jar into one Riess spiral produced a spark in another, providing a method to test Maxwell's theory.

  2. 1886-1889 · University of KarlsruheVerification of Electromagnetic Waves

    Hertz conducted a series of experiments between 1886 and 1889 to prove that observed effects were results of Maxwell's predicted electromagnetic waves.

Background and detail

Background. James Clerk Maxwell proposed a comprehensive theory of electromagnetism in 1864, suggesting light consisted of electromagnetic waves. However, no one had proven this or generated waves of other wavelengths. Helmholtz proposed a prize for proving electromagnetic effects in insulators, but Hertz initially found it too difficult, working on induction instead.

Institutional Context. Hertz became a full professor at the University of Karlsruhe in 1885. The institution, known as the Fridericiana, was declared a Technische Hochschule in 1885. Hertz conducted his landmark research into electromagnetic waves during this period at the university, which in 2009 merged with the Karlsruhe Research Center to form the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Experimental Breakthrough. In autumn 1886, Hertz noticed that discharging a Leyden jar into a Riess spiral produced a spark in another coil. This observation provided a way to build an apparatus to test Maxwell's theory. Between 1886 and 1889, he conducted experiments proving the observed effects were results of predicted electromagnetic waves.

People involved

Sources

  1. Heinrich Hertz Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
  2. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.