Q 01/05

In which Italian city was Guglielmo Marconi born in 1874?

A) Rome

B) Florence

C) Bologna

D) Milan

Answer · why

C) Bologna

The city's airport now carries his name, and his mausoleum is at nearby Pontecchio.

Q 02/05

Marconi's mother Annie was the granddaughter of the founder of which famous brand?

A) Guinness stout

B) Jameson Irish Whiskey

C) Bushmills whiskey

D) Waterford Crystal

Answer · why

B) Jameson Irish Whiskey

Her Irish and British connections help explain why so much of his career unfolded in Britain.

Q 03/05

Where in England did Marconi live with his mother and brother between the ages of two and six?

A) Brighton

B) Bath

C) Bristol

D) Bedford

Answer · why

D) Bedford

His father even took British citizenship in 1877, so Marconi could have opted for it too.

Q 04/05

What kind of schooling did the young Marconi receive?

A) Private tutors at home

B) A Jesuit boarding school

C) The University of Bologna

D) A naval academy

Answer · why

A) Private tutors at home

A Livorno physics teacher, Vincenzo Rosa, taught the 17-year-old the new theories of electricity.

Q 05/05

Which physics professor let the young Marconi use his university's laboratory and library?

A) Heinrich Hertz

B) Oliver Lodge

C) Édouard Branly

D) Augusto Righi

Answer · why

D) Augusto Righi

Righi's article on Hertz's work rekindled Marconi's interest in wireless telegraphy.