Every so often, someone revolutionises a field of endeavour and thereby alters, irrevocably, our perception of the world. This requires a rare combination of insight, perseverance, talent and something more - a strange, magical touch, a kind of integrating faculty which transcends mere reason and defies analysis. The person who has this power and successfully applies it, we call a genius. Newton and Einstein were such men; and so too was Maxwell.

Inspec keywords: biographies; electromagnetism

Other keywords: wireless pioneers; James Clerk Maxwell

Subjects: Electromagnetic wave propagation; Other general electrical engineering topics; Radio links and equipment