Marconi #10

In 1930 Mussolini appointed Marconi president of the newly formed Royal Academy of Science. The academy's purpose was to promote Italian science and culture. The academy was to have 60 members. The government was to name the first 30 members. They would nominate the rest, with Mussolini having the final say. Mussolini claimed to not be antisemitic, but he nixed all nominations of Jews.

In 1933 Marconi felt compelled to respond to a reporter's question about the situation in Europe: "Mussolini and Hitler will not join forces. They are too different" (Marconi, 593).

In 1936 Mussolini pursued his war in Ethiopia, then an Italian colony, with renewed vigor and determination. His forces used chemical weapons, murdered prisoners, and terrorized Ethiopians. Marconi did not protest while lauding Mussolini for other things.

In July, 1937 Marconi died. He had long-standing health problems. About 50,000 people filed by while he laid in state. There was a grand funeral. "At precisely 6:00 p.m. Rome time, telegraph and radio stations in Italy, Britain, the United States, and Canada went silent, along with other beam and wireless stations around the world" (653).

Marconi's will designated all his assets go to family members, and none to scientific, political, or religious organizations. I have skipped a lot of the biography about Marconi's personal life. He was married twice. During his first marriage he traveled a lot and lived apart from his wife a lot due to his work. They had three children. Much of the communication between the spouses was via letters. He married his second wife when he was age 53. She spent much time with him. She was devoted to him and attended to his health problems. They had one child. For many years in midlife, his home was his yacht, which included a lab for experiments.