| The brightest of sparks |
Oliver Lodge Born in Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, Oliver Lodge was a complex mix of scientist, humanitarian, academic and spiritualist. The Professor of Physics and Mathematics at the University College of Liverpool was narrowly beaten to the discovery of electromagnetic waves by Hertz, but in 1894 became the first person to transmit a message by radio telegraphy. He is credited as the inventor of the spark plug, and two of his sons established the Lodge Plug Company. The Lodge igniter, made in 1907, was 'described as the most perfect motor car coil,' and won the gold medal for the Allumage Pour Moteurs A Gaz at the 1908 Paris Exhibition. It is the forerunner to the modern spark plug that is so crucial to today's internal combustion engines. Between 1900 and 1919 Lodge was the Principal of Birmingham University. Whilst developing his ideas on issues such as student involvement in the running of universities and in the women's emancipation movement, Lodge made many attempts to contact the spirit of his son who was killed during the Great War (1914-18). Stoke-on- Trent Museums Services Your Comments (0)
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