Do you know these famous people in wireless and computer networking?
The fields of computer networking and wireless communications have grown tremendously since their inception. Many technical advances have been made in research labs and corporate workgroups involving largely anonymous teams of engineers. In a few cases, however, certain individuals achieved a notable level of fame for their accomplishments in wireless and network technology advancement. This page honors these individuals but also all the work of many unsung students, professionals and hobbyists who’ve come before and since.
Tesla, a Serbian American, was one of the early researchers of wireless electric power dating back to the late 1800s. He gained significant notoriety during his lifetime via his inventions and public demonstrations of electricity, but also from a bitter rivalry with Thomas Edison and a lawsuit against Guglielmo Marconi. Tesla’s legacy has also withstood the test of time. Long after his death, his technical prowess and the impact of his groundbreaking work in wireless has continued to be appreciated and admired.
An Austrian-born lady named Hedwig Kiesler grew up to be world-famous motion picture actress Hedy Lamarr. Her professional career didn't stop her from making a major contribution to the field of wirelss communication, though. When radio-controlled torpedoing of civilian ships caught her attention during World War II, she became inspired to help the U.S. war effort and to prevent their signals from being jammed by the enemy. She co-invented a clever technique of manipulating radio communication that (many years later) evolved into wireless spread spectrum techniques used in modern telecommunications.
English Research Tim Berners-Lee led development of the World Wide Web in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was instrumental in the creation of initial versions of HTML, Web browsers, Web servers, and HTTP. He also been involved in various successful ventures since then.
In 1999, Shawn Fanning created Napster, a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application that disrupted many school computer networks along with the entire music industry. While mobile apps number in the millions today, the idea of a free, easy-to-use software application that allowed people to share data across the world was still fairly new back then. Napster was shut down within a few years after high-profile legal actions, but Mr. Fanning continued his career working on various startup ventures.
While much computer network hacking activity is legal and intended for good, a number of people have been convicted of crimes related to network break-ins. Some subsequently atoned for their mistakes and applied their technical skills toward more productive goals such training network security firms to improve their capabilities. Kevin Mitnick is among the most famous of this group. After serving five years in prison, he became a leader among “white hat” security practitioners.More »
Mr. Cerf has worked as researcher and later as an executive at several firms who helped steer development of the Internet. He is credited as the co-inventor of TCP/IP. He has also advocated for net neutrality in the United States in his role at Google.
Mr. Postel and Vint Cerf actually attended the same high school in California. Before his death in 1998, Mr. Postel contributed many years of service to the Internet community, managing core activities for the Internet Request for Comments process and Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). While far from a household name, he represents the many dedicated hardworking professionals who quietly made the Internet what it is today.More »
1. Nikola Tesla
Tesla, a Serbian American, was one of the early researchers of wireless electric power dating back to the late 1800s. He gained significant notoriety during his lifetime via his inventions and public demonstrations of electricity, but also from a bitter rivalry with Thomas Edison and a lawsuit against Guglielmo Marconi. Tesla’s legacy has also withstood the test of time. Long after his death, his technical prowess and the impact of his groundbreaking work in wireless has continued to be appreciated and admired.
2. Hedy Lamarr
An Austrian-born lady named Hedwig Kiesler grew up to be world-famous motion picture actress Hedy Lamarr. Her professional career didn't stop her from making a major contribution to the field of wirelss communication, though. When radio-controlled torpedoing of civilian ships caught her attention during World War II, she became inspired to help the U.S. war effort and to prevent their signals from being jammed by the enemy. She co-invented a clever technique of manipulating radio communication that (many years later) evolved into wireless spread spectrum techniques used in modern telecommunications.
3. Tim Berners-Lee
English Research Tim Berners-Lee led development of the World Wide Web in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was instrumental in the creation of initial versions of HTML, Web browsers, Web servers, and HTTP. He also been involved in various successful ventures since then.
4. Shawn Fanning
In 1999, Shawn Fanning created Napster, a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application that disrupted many school computer networks along with the entire music industry. While mobile apps number in the millions today, the idea of a free, easy-to-use software application that allowed people to share data across the world was still fairly new back then. Napster was shut down within a few years after high-profile legal actions, but Mr. Fanning continued his career working on various startup ventures.
5. Kevin Mitnick and other Network Criminals
While much computer network hacking activity is legal and intended for good, a number of people have been convicted of crimes related to network break-ins. Some subsequently atoned for their mistakes and applied their technical skills toward more productive goals such training network security firms to improve their capabilities. Kevin Mitnick is among the most famous of this group. After serving five years in prison, he became a leader among “white hat” security practitioners.More »
6. Vinton Cerf
Mr. Cerf has worked as researcher and later as an executive at several firms who helped steer development of the Internet. He is credited as the co-inventor of TCP/IP. He has also advocated for net neutrality in the United States in his role at Google.
7. Jon Postel
Mr. Postel and Vint Cerf actually attended the same high school in California. Before his death in 1998, Mr. Postel contributed many years of service to the Internet community, managing core activities for the Internet Request for Comments process and Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). While far from a household name, he represents the many dedicated hardworking professionals who quietly made the Internet what it is today.More »
