Radar was developed
during the early 20th century. There is no
certain "inventor". The idea of a device was around for a time, but the
technology wasn't available to make it work. One of the biggest advances
came as the result of Robert Watson-Watt, a British scientist.
Great Britan made a big effort do develop radar before World War Two.
They built a network of early warning radar stations (called "Chain Home")
around the country to warn them of any invasions. This gave them the edge
to defeat the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.
While most radar advances were made because of war uses, the idea first
came up as a collision warning. A lot of interest in anti-collision
systems started after the Titanic sunk when hit an iceburg in 1912.
Nobody can be credited with "inventing" radar. The idea had been
around for a long time--a spotlight that could cut through fog. But the
problem was that it was too advanced for the technology of the time. It
wasn't until the early 20th century that a radar system was first built.
One of the biggest advocators of radar technology was Robert Watson-Watt,
a British scientist.
Great Britain made a big effort to develop radar in the years leading up to
World War Two. Some people credit them with being pioneers in the field.
As it was, the early warning radar system (called "Chain Home") that they
built around the British Isles warned them of all aerial invasions.
This gave the outnumbered Royal Air Force the edge they needed to defeat
the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.
While radar development was pushed because of wartime concerns, the idea
first came about as an anti-collision system. After the Titanic ran into an
iceburg and sank in 1912, people were interested in ways to make such
happenings avoidable.
The idea of radar had
been around for a long time before it was actually developed. The theory
was simple--use electromagnetic waves with higher energy than light to
create a more powerful spotlight that could shine through media such as fog
that visible-light spotlights couldn't. The problem with detecting the
backscattered radiation that couldn't be seen with a human eye was too
advanced for the time. It wasn't until the early 20th century that a
radar system could be built. One of the biggest advocates of radar
technology was Robert Watson-Watt, a British scientist.
Great Britain was one of the leading developers of radar in the years
leading up to World War Two. The research they conducted led to an early
warning radar system called "Chain Home". They built radar stations
around the British Isles to provide warning of an aerial invasion. This
was one of the advantages which helped the outnumbered Royal Air Force
defeat the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.
While radar developed was pushed because of the valuable wartime uses,
the idea was first thought of as an anti-collision system. This was a
hot topic especially when the Titanic sank after colliding with an
iceburg in 1912. Radar was seen as a way to detect objects such as
iceburgs in bad weather when spotlights would be useless.
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