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1 Smith, Willoughby
[br]b. 16 April 1828 Great Yarmouth, Englandd. 17 July 1891 Eastbourne, England[br]English engineer of submarine telegraph cables who observed that light reduced the resistance of selenium.[br]Smith joined the Gutta Percha Company, London, in 1848 and successfully experimented with the use of gutta-percha, a natural form of latex, for the insulation of conducting wires. As a result, he was made responsible for the laying of the first cross-Channel cable between Dover and Calais in 1850. Four years later he laid the first Mediterranean cable between Spezia, Italy, and Corsica and Sardinia, later extending it to Algeria. On its completion he became Manager of the Gutta Percha works, which in 1864 became the Telegraph and Construction Company. In 1865 he assisted on board the Great Eastern with the laying of the transatlantic cable by Bright.Clearly his management responsibilities did not stop him from experimenting practically. In 1866 he discovered that the resistance of a selenium rod was reduced by the action of incident light, an early discovery of the photoelectric effect more explicitly observed by Hertz and subsequently explained by Einstein. In 1883 he read a paper to the Society of Telegraph Engineers (later the Institution of Electrical Engineers), suggesting the possibility of wireless communication with moving trains, an idea that was later successfully taken up by others, and in 1888 he demonstrated the use of water as a practical means of communication with a lighthouse. Four years later, after his death, the system was tried between Alum Bay and the Needles in the Isle of Wight, and it was used subsequently for the Fastnet Rock lighthouse some 10 miles (16 km) off the south-west coast of Ireland.[br]Principal Honours and DistinctionsFounder and Council Member of the Society of Telegraph Engineers 1871; President 1873.BibliographyThe effect of light on the resistance of selenium was reported in a letter to the Vice- Chairman of the Society of Telegraph Engineers on 4 February 1873.7 June 1897, British patent no. 8,159 (the use of water, instead of cable, as a conductor).November 1888, article in Electrician (describes his idea of using water as a conductor, rather than cable).Further ReadingE.Hawkes, 1927, Pioneers of Wireless, London: Methuen.C.T.Bright, 1898, Submarine Cables, Their History, Construction and Working.See also: Field, Cyrus WestKF -
2 Electricity
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3 Telecommunications
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Willoughby Smith — (* 6. April 1828 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk; † 17. Juli 1891 in Eastbourne, Sussex) war ein englischer Elektroingenieur. Er gilt als Entdecker der Photokonduktanz des Elementes Selen. Inhaltsve … Deutsch Wikipedia
Willoughby Sharp — (b. 1936, New York City), the co founder, with writer/filmmaker Liza Bear, of Avalanche magazine (1970 1976), is an internationally known artist, independent curator, gallerist, teacher, author, and telecom activist. Biography Sharp began his… … Wikipedia
Willoughby Smith — (April 6, 1828, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk July 17, 1891, Eastbourne, Sussex) was an English electrical engineer who discovered the photoconductivity of the element selenium. This discovery led to the invention of photoelectric cells, including… … Wikipedia
Willoughby Shortland — (1804 1869) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator.He was New Zealand s first Colonial Secretary, having taken up the post when he arrived in New Zealand with Lieutenant Governor William Hobson on 29 January… … Wikipedia
Smith (Familienname) — Smith [smɪθ] (englisch smith „Schmied“) ist ein englischsprachiger Familienname. Zur Herkunft siehe Schmidt. Smith ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Bekannte Namensträger Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L M N … Deutsch Wikipedia
Smith — Smith, 1) John, engl. Reisender und Schriftsteller, geb. 6. Jan. 1580 in Willoughby (Lincolnshire), gest. im Juni 1631 in London, war einer der Begründer der englischen Kolonie Virginia. Nach einer in bunten Abenteuern verlebten Jugend beteiligte … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
Willoughby, Lincolnshire — Infobox UK place| official name= Willoughby country= England region= East Midlands population= 400 os grid reference= TF470719 latitude= 53.26 longitude= 0.18 post town= ALFORD postcode area= LN postcode district= LN13 dial code= constituency… … Wikipedia
Smith, John — (baptized Jan. 6, 1580, Willoughby, Lincolnshire, Eng. died June 1631, London) English explorer. After a period as a military adventurer, he joined an English group preparing to establish a colony in North America. After the London Co. received… … Universalium
Smith — I Smith [smɪθ], 1) Adam, britischer Moralphilosoph und Volkswirtschaftler, getauft Kirkcaldy 5. 6. 1723, ✝ Edinburgh 17. 7. 1790; Schüler von F. Hutcheson und Freund von D. Hume; war Professor für Logik, später auch für … Universal-Lexikon
Smith, John — ► (1579? 1631) Colonizador y aventurero inglés. Fue uno de los fundadores de Jamestown. * * * (bautizado el 6 ene. 1580, Willoughby, Lincolnshire, Inglaterra–jun. 1631, Londres). Explorador inglés. Pasó un tiempo como aventurero militar, luego se … Enciclopedia Universal
John Smith (explorador) — Para otros usos de este término, véase John Smith. Capitán John Smith. John Smith (Willoughby, Lincolnshire, enero de 1580 – Londres, 21 de junio de 1631) fue un soldado, marino y autor inglés. Es generalmente reconocido … Wikipedia Español
