Loomis Day

Mahlon Loomis (21 July 1826 – 13 October 1886) was the American inventor of radio. He is best known for promulgating the theory that the Earth's upper atmosphere was divided into discrete voltage layers,rising from zero at ground level to higher voltage with altitude and asserting that these could be "tapped" using kites fitted with metallic screen conductors and 600 foot long copper cords, flown high above hills and mountains, in order to transmit and receive electromagnetic code impulse messages. This is described in his notebook and issued US patent. His theory of atmospheric electrical layers was confirmed in 1957, in Atmospheric Electricity by John Alan Chalmers. Based on Loomis's US patent and successful wireless telegraphic transmission between two Virginia hilltops 18 miles apart,in October1868,Loomis'equipment was the clearly first to ever transmit and receive electromagetic waves (radio signals) for communication. Details are in Loomis's experiment notebook in the manuscript collection of the Library of Congress.