Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, brought electromagnetic waves out of the laboratory and into the world. He began with short-distance broadcasts in his own backyard. In September 1899, he astounded the world by telegraphing the results of the America's Cup yacht races from a ship at sea to a land-based station in New York. By the end of 1901, Marconi had founded his own commercial wireless company and broadcasted the first transatlantic signal.

Source: PBS