James Clerk Maxwell’s discovery of electromagnetic waves was proven experimentally by Heinrich Hertz. From then on here were numerous attempts to use electromagnetic waves for communications. A young Italian, Guglielmo Marconi, arrived in Britain and worked with the Post Office to gradually extend the radius within which radiation can be detected to several miles. By 1901 Marconi managed to send signals across the Atlantic. The sinking of the Titanic made it necessary to provide ships with wireless telegraphy and intercommunications. The need for amplifiers was satisfied by the birth of electronics. The rise of Germany as a great power is discussed.