Enrico Fermi Talks About Guglielmo Marconi [Historical Corner]

I hope I have demonstrated with this short outline how wide and interesting is the field that the study of electromagnetic wave propagation in the high atmosphere - which was originated from Marconi's tests on long-distance radio communications - opened to investigation. The interest is emphasized by the fact that these high-atmosphere properties are linked to many other phenomena (so far, only partially understood) of terrestrial and solar physics. It is to be hoped that a methodical study of these phenomena and their interdependencies can lead to a remarkable advance in our knowledge of the atmospheric state on one hand, and on the other hand can be fruitful for practical results to guarantee stability and efficiency of radio communications in adverse weather conditions.