Did you know that an Indian scientist pioneered wireless communication in the 1890s? His name is Jagdish Chandra Bose.
He was born in Munshiganj district of Bangladesh on Nov. 30, 1858. Bose was a physicist, botanist, and an author.
A Google doodle across the US, Australia, India, and France commemorates his contributions on his 158th birth anniversary.
Here are 10 things you should know about him:
He is the father of wireless communication. In November 1895, Bose developed the concept of remote control. He fired off an electromagnetic wave 75 feet across a room in Calcutta’s town Hall to “remotely ring a bell and to explode some gunpowder.” The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers named Bose as the “father of radio science” in 1997.
The Indian scientist invented the crescograph. It measures the movement and growth in plant life by magnifying it 10,000 times. The Google doodle shows a sketch of a crescograph.
Jagdish Chandra Bose Discovered that Plants Feel Pain
Using the crescograph, J.C. Bose discovered that plants do feel pain. The instrument showed that chemical inhibitors, temperature, and light affect how plants grow.
Bose invented the mercury coherer. Guglielmo Marconi used this instrument to receive a radio signal across the Atlantic in 1901. Only Marconi was recognized for this feat.
He is a pioneer in the field of microwave devices. Experts still recognize his contributions to the field.
The scientist owns the first patent for solid–state diode detector. This device can detect electromagnetic wave. He built the detector using a galena crystal.
Racial Discrimination Did Not Faze Sir Bose
Racial discrimination did not impede his research. When he joined the University of Calcutta as a professor of physics, the British denied him access to the laboratories. So, he conducted experiments at his 24-sq.m.-room in downtown Calcutta.
A moon crater is named after J.C. Bose. The honor is in recognition of his achievements in the field of wireless telecommunications. His research paved the way for satellite communication.
He established the Indian Institute in Calcutta, now named the Bose Institute. He was knighted in 1917. Sir Bose died due to a heart attack on November 23, 1937. He was 78 years old.
Aside from his contributions to science, Sir J.C. Bose also wrote books. In fact, he is known as the father of Bengali science fiction, according to India Today. He wrote two books Polatok Toofan (Absconding Storm) and Niruddesher Kahini (Story of the Untraceable).
