Milestone-Proposal:Marconi Kahuku Wireless Telegraph Station Creates Communications Around the Earth in 1914
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Docket #:
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To the proposer’s knowledge, is this achievement subject to litigation? No
Is the achievement you are proposing more than 25 years old? Yes
Is the achievement you are proposing within IEEE’s designated fields as defined by IEEE Bylaw I-104.11, namely: Engineering, Computer Sciences and Information Technology, Physical Sciences, Biological and Medical Sciences, Mathematics, Technical Communications, Education, Management, and Law and Policy. Yes
Did the achievement provide a meaningful benefit for humanity? Yes
Was it of at least regional importance? Yes
Has an IEEE Organizational Unit agreed to pay for the milestone plaque(s)? Yes
Has the IEEE Section(s) in which the plaque(s) will be located agreed to arrange the dedication ceremony? Yes
Has the IEEE Section in which the milestone is located agreed to take responsibility for the plaque after it is dedicated? Yes
Has the owner of the site agreed to have it designated as an IEEE Milestone? No
Year or range of years in which the achievement occurred:
1914
Title of the proposed milestone:
Marconi Kahuku Wireless Telegraph Station Creates Communications Around the Earth in 1914
Plaque citation summarizing the achievement and its significance; if personal name(s) are included, such name(s) must follow the achievement itself in the citation wording: Text absolutely limited by plaque dimensions to 70 words; 60 is preferable for aesthetic reasons.
In 1912 the Marconi Corporation proposed "A Wireless Girdle around the Earth" for long-range wireless telegraph signals. In 1913 the Koko Head receiver and the Kahuku sender stations were built connecting stations on the US mainland with Asia. On Sep 24, 1914 the first message was sent to President Wilson and by 1916 to Funabashi station in Japan.
200-250 word abstract describing the significance of the technical achievement being proposed, the person(s) involved, historical context, humanitarian and social impact, as well as any possible controversies the advocate might need to review.
In 1914 the Marconi Kahuku wireless telegraph station was the world’s largest wireless communications center and is a registered national historic landmark. It played a critical role in providing the Hawaiian Islands with worldwide wireless telegraphic and later telephonic communications. The Hawaiian government learned that in March 1899 Marconi transmitted the first wireless messages across the English Channel between France and England and wanted it for transmitting messages between inter-island due to the failure of inter-island cable communication due to the deep ocean waters between islands. Marconi wireless telegraph stations were brought to Hawaii in 1899 forming Inter-Island Telegraph which later became Hawaiian Telecom Company. In June 1900 the first message was sent four miles from Iolani Palace to the Kaimuki station and was the first wireless transmission west of the Rocky Mountains. Five of the Hawaiian Islands were connected for the first time and the Kahuku station was constructed on the north shore of Oahu. For long range wireless telegraph signals, Marconi Corporation proposed “A Wireless Gridle around the Earth” using Kahuku station to connect stations on the US mainland with Japan/Asia. On Sep 24, 1914 the Kahuku long range station sent its first message to the President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson and by 1916 it was transmitting to Funabashi Station in Japan connecting Japan to the US mainland with wireless communication.
IEEE technical societies and technical councils within whose fields of interest the Milestone proposal resides.
IEEE Communications Society IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society
In what IEEE section(s) does it reside?
Hawaii
IEEE Organizational Unit(s) which have agreed to sponsor the Milestone:
IEEE Organizational Unit(s) paying for milestone plaque(s):
Unit: Hawaii
Senior Officer Name: Brianne Tengan
IEEE Organizational Unit(s) arranging the dedication ceremony:
Unit: Hawaii
Senior Officer Name: Brianne Tengan
IEEE section(s) monitoring the plaque(s):
IEEE Section: Hawaii
IEEE Section Chair name: Brianne Tengan
Milestone proposer(s):
Proposer name: John Borland
Proposer email: Proposer's email masked to public
Please note: your email address and contact information will be masked on the website for privacy reasons. Only IEEE History Center Staff will be able to view the email address.
Street address(es) and GPS coordinates in decimal form of the intended milestone plaque site(s):
56-1095 Kamehameha Highway Kahuku, HI 96731 21.7062345, -157.9730891
Describe briefly the intended site(s) of the milestone plaque(s). The intended site(s) must have a direct connection with the achievement (e.g. where developed, invented, tested, demonstrated, installed, or operated, etc.). A museum where a device or example of the technology is displayed, or the university where the inventor studied, are not, in themselves, sufficient connection for a milestone plaque.
Please give the address(es) of the plaque site(s) (GPS coordinates if you have them). Also please give the details of the mounting, i.e. on the outside of the building, in the ground floor entrance hall, on a plinth on the grounds, etc. If visitors to the plaque site will need to go through security, or make an appointment, please give the contact information visitors will need. The site is the actual location of the wireless station building which is in ruins with only outer building shell partially in tact.
Are the original buildings extant?
Yes the outer shell of the original building.
Details of the plaque mounting:
TBD.
How is the site protected/secured, and in what ways is it accessible to the public?
Marconi Farm is the current business on site and is open to the public daily until 3PM.
Who is the present owner of the site(s)?
Sushil Garg of Las Vegas.
What is the historical significance of the work (its technological, scientific, or social importance)? If personal names are included in citation, include detailed support at the end of this section preceded by "Justification for Inclusion of Name(s)". (see section 6 of Milestone Guidelines)
What obstacles (technical, political, geographic) needed to be overcome?
What features set this work apart from similar achievements?
Why was the achievement successful and impactful?
Supporting texts and citations to establish the dates, location, and importance of the achievement: Minimum of five (5), but as many as needed to support the milestone, such as patents, contemporary newspaper articles, journal articles, or chapters in scholarly books. 'Scholarly' is defined as peer-reviewed, with references, and published. You must supply the texts or excerpts themselves, not just the references. At least one of the references must be from a scholarly book or journal article. All supporting materials must be in English, or accompanied by an English translation.
References: 1) Civil Bear article Jan 3, 2024. 2) National Register of Historic Places, US Dept of the Interior, National Park Service, 2013. 3) Historic Hawaii Foundation: Marconi Wireless Telegraphy Station
Supporting materials (supported formats: GIF, JPEG, PNG, PDF, DOC): All supporting materials must be in English, or if not in English, accompanied by an English translation. You must supply the texts or excerpts themselves, not just the references. For documents that are copyright-encumbered, or which you do not have rights to post, email the documents themselves to ieee-history@ieee.org. Please see the Milestone Program Guidelines for more information.
Please email a jpeg or PDF a letter in English, or with English translation, from the site owner(s) giving permission to place IEEE milestone plaque on the property, and a letter (or forwarded email) from the appropriate Section Chair supporting the Milestone application to ieee-history@ieee.org with the subject line "Attention: Milestone Administrator." Note that there are multiple texts of the letter depending on whether an IEEE organizational unit other than the section will be paying for the plaque(s).
Please recommend reviewers by emailing their names and email addresses to ieee-history@ieee.org. Please include the docket number and brief title of your proposal in the subject line of all emails.
