Brazilian scientist born in Porto Alegre-RS in 21th January, 1861 and one of precursors of radio broadcasting. Landell de Moura's first researches in radio broadcast started in 1893. He did the first public demonstration of a radio broadcast in June 3, 1900. He registered patents in USA and Brazil respectively in 1904 and 1901, but according to contemporaries reports, Landell de Moura had already demonstrated his experiments in 1884, but as a Catholic priest, he could not get recognition from government.
The great italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi is considered the inventor of radio broadcast, but there are evidences that Landell de Moura conducted successfull
experiences in radio broadcast at least one year before Marconi.
He studied physics and electricity in Rome and was ordained as a priest in 1886, when he returned to Brazil, where he died in 1928. There are many contemporary newspaper reports of his achievemnts.
Landell Moura got broadcast voice signal through electromagnetic and light
waves. That was possible thoughout a device similar to the triode valve invented by
Lee De Forest in 1906. His valve used an Ruhmkorff's coil and was patented under the
name "photonic - electronic system" in USA between 1901 and 1904. In 1984 a
brazilian university managed a reconstruction work coordinated by scientists, using
materials made by the inventor. This replica can be found in a museum in the city of
Porto Alegre-RS. He also conducted pioneer researches in the fiber optics and Kirilian effect.
References:
http://www.rlandell.hpg.ig.com.br/des_func_circ_landell.htm
http://www.rlandell.hpg.ig.com.br/portugues.htm
http://geocities.yahoo.com.br/landelldemoura/lm27.htm
http://www.aminharadio.com/biografia_landell.html