Thunderstruck

Erik Larson’s Thunderstruck concludes with Marconi’s wireless form of communication reaching mainstream awareness because of the sensational transatlantic manhunt for Dr. Crippen, an infamous murderer traveling with his mistress in disguise. Larson notes, “Followed by millions of newspaper readers around the world, the great chase that ensued helped advance the evolution of a technology we today take utterly for granted” (9). The salacious and exciting nature of the manhunt propelled wireless to the forefront of the conversation about the practical uses of scientific breakthroughs. The manhunt proved the vitality and usefulness of the wireless in real-time with real results. Through the chase, Marconi, who had been plagued by skeptics, inadvertently won over even the most ardent of opponents to the benefits of wireless. Thus ends Thunderstruck.

However, Marconi’s device goes on to be adapted for multiple uses, including radio for mass consumption and eventually television. Devices utilizing wave technology go on to become mainstays in homes in the form of the radio by the late 1920s and car radio shortly after that. Rather than two-way communication, the technology was tweaked to merge both the wireless delivery of broadcast with the showmanship and delivery of the news. The Dr. Crippen manhunt demonstrated the public’s desire for instant, reliable news.