David Edward Hughes

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David Edward Hughes : biography

16 May 1831 – 22 January 1900

Hughes demonstrated his technology to representatives of the Royal Society in February 1880, but it was incorrectly dismissed as merely induction.The Story of Wireless Telegraphy by A. T. Story While Hughes was continuing his wireless telegraphy research, Hertz’s papers were published, and then he thought it was too late to bring forward these earlier experiments. Hughes’ work was not published until a brief mention of it in 1892, and a full magazine article was written about it in 1899. BBC television. Segment— David Edward Hughes—broadcast June 24, 2009 A book about it was published in 1899 and 1901. However, his work was not done in obscurity. His substantial contributions to science achieved wide recognition during his lifetime, from his peers within the scientific community.

Despite the initial erroneous dismissal of his radio system, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1880,Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, , 1899, pages 373, 468-469. and won their Royal Medal in 1885. He became one of the most highly decorated inventors of his time. His many accolades made him known to radio pioneers who would refine his work in later years.

Indeed, the Hughes Medal was created by the Royal Society of London in his honor, to be awarded to other scientists "in recognition of an original discovery in the physical sciences, particularly electricity and magnetism or their applications". A listing follows of Hughes Medal recipients honored for achievements directly applicable to the advancement of radio science and technology (click to show table).

Year Name Rationale Notes
1902 Joseph John|Thomson|J. J. Thomson}} "for his numerous contributions to electric science, especially in reference to the phenomena of electric discharge in gases"
1903 Johann Wilhelm|Hittorf|}} "for his long continued experimental researches on the electric discharge in liquids and gases" title= Nature |publisher= Nature Publishing Group |page= 109 }}
1905 Augusto|Righi|}} "for his experimental researches in electrical science, including electric vibrations" jstor=20023099|journal=Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences}}
1906 Hertha|Ayrton|}} "for her experimental investigations on the electric arc, and also on sand ripples"
1908 Eugen|Goldstein|}} "for his discoveries on the nature of electric discharge in rarefied gasses" last= Mehra |first= Jagdish |title= The Historical Development of Quantum Theory |publisher= Springer-Verlag |year= 1989 |page= 233 |isbn= 0-387-96284-0 }}
1910 John Ambrose|Fleming|}} "for his researches in electricity and electrical measurements"
1913 Alexander Graham|Bell|}} "for his share in the invention of the telephone, and more especially the construction of the telephone receiver" title= Bell Telephone Magazine |publisher= American Telephone and Telegraph Company Public Relations Dept |page= 59 |year=1936}}
1918 Irving|Langmuir|}} "for his researches in molecular physics" last=Wasson |first=Tyler |title= Nobel Prize Winners|publisher= Visual Education Corporation |page= 598 |year=1987 |isbn=0-8242-0756-4}}
1920 Owen|Richardson|}} "for his work in experimental physics, and especially thermionics" title= Who Was Who in Literature|publisher= Thomson Gale |page= 955 |year=1979}}
1925 Frank Edward|Smith|}} "for his determination of fundamental electrical units and for researches in technical electricity" title= Proceedings of the Royal Society of London |page=15 |year=1926|publisher=Royal Society Publishing}}
1926 Henry|Jackson|Henry Jackson (physicist)}} "for his pioneer work in the scientific investigations of radiotelegraphy and its application to navigation" title= Science |publisher=HighWire Press |page= 552 |year=1926}}
1933 Edward Victor|Appleton|}} "for his researches into the effect of the Heaviside layer upon the transmission of wireless signals" last= Wasson |first=Tyler |title= Nobel Prize Winners: An H.W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary |publisher=Wiley |page= 30 |year=1987 |isbn= 0-8242-0756-4}}
1936 Walter H.|Schottky|}} "for his discovery of the Schrot Effect in thermionic emission and his invention of the screen-grid tetrode and a superheterodyne method of receiving wireless signals" title= Science |publisher= American Association for the Advancement of Science |page=480 |year = 1936}}
1943 Marcus|Oliphant|}} "for his distinguished work in nuclear physics and mastery of methods of generating and applying high potentials" url=http://oxforddnb.com/view/article/74397|title=Oxford DNB article:Oliphant, Sir Marcus Laurence Elwin (subscription needed)|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|accessdate=2009-02-06}}
1945 Basil|Schonland|}} "for his work on atmospheric electricity and of other physical researches" url=http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0014%2FSCHO|title=Janus: The Papers of Sir Basil Schonland|publisher=Janus|accessdate=2009-02-06}}
1946 John|Randall|Sir John Randall}} "for his distinguished researches into fluorescent materials and into the production of high frequency electro-magnetic radiation"
1948 Robert|Watson-Watt|}} "for his distinguished contributions to atmospheric physics and to the development of radar"
1954 Martin|Ryle|}} "for his distinguished and original experimental researches in radio astronomy" url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1974/ryle-autobio.html|title=Martin Ryle — Autobiography|publisher=nobelprize.org|accessdate=2009-02-06}}
1960 Joseph|Pawsey|}} "for his distinguished contributions to radio astronomy both in the study of solar and of cosmic ray emission"
1971 Robert Hanbury|Brown|}} "for his distinguished work in developing a new form of stellar interferometer, culminating in his observations of alpha virginis" url=http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P000271b.htm|title=Brown, Robert Hanbury — Bright Sparcs Biography Entry|publisher=University of Melbourne|accessdate=2009-02-06}}
1977 Antony|Hewish|}} "for his outstanding contributions to radioastronomy, including the discovery and identification of pulsars" last= Parker |first= Sybil P. |title= McGraw-Hill Modern Scientists and Engineers: A-G |publisher= McGraw-Hill Book Company |page=56 |year = 1980}}
1990 Thomas George|Cowling|}} "for his fundamental contributions to theoretical astrophysics including seminal theoretical studies of the role of electromagnetic induction in cosmic systems" last= Matthew |first= H. C. G. |title= Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher= Oxford University Press |page=798 |year = 2004 |isbn= 0-19-280089-2}}