Special guest speaker Denholm Knowles will deliver a talk entitled Freaks of the Wireless, a true story based on his book of the same name which comes out in June. “What begins as a seemingly straightforward business deal quickly devolves into a feud between Guglielmo Marconi, the Father of Radio, and Nevil Maskelyne the world famous magician. Over several years from 1900 the conflict intensifies up to a dramatic conclusion at the Royal Institution that leaves egos smashed and reputations in tatters. The talk will explain how the events unfolded against the vibrant backdrop of rapid technological development during the industrial revolution. The legendary exchanges between Marconi and Maskelyne are a quintessential motif of Victorian England.”

As usual we will be attempting to live-stream the proceedings, very much at the mercy of the pub’s wifi. The link to watch that is TBC

Thanks to James Rigby for arranging this lecture for us.