Jagdish Chandra Bose (November 30, 1858–November 23, 1937) was a leading physicist of his age. He was a physicist at Presidency College in Calcutta, India, who pioneered the investigation of microwave optics in the later 1800s.

In November 1894 J.C. Bose ignited gunpowder and rang a bell at a distance using electromagnetic waves, proving for the first time in history that communication signals can be sent without using wires. This was one year after Nikola Tesla made the first public demonstration of radio communication in 1893. Bose went to London on a lecture tour in 1896 and met Marconi, who was conducting wireless experiments for the British post office. In an interview, Bose said he was not interested in commercial telegraphy and others can use his research work. Later in 1899 Bose announced his invention of the "iron-mercury-iron coherer with telephone detector" in a paper presented at Royal Society, London.

He was also known as an excellent teacher who believed in the use of classroom demonstrations, a trait apparently picked up while studying with Lord Rayleigh at Cambridge. He influenced many later Indian physicists, including Satyendra Bose (no relation) who later went on to be an influential figure in 20th century physics.

Later he turned his attention to plant physiology, where he gained a new sort of fame with continued claims that plants had nervous responses (of a sort) similar to those of animals. This led him to explore the effects of drugs on plants, and later, non-organic materials such as metals, which he claimed showed similar effects. Much of this was demonstrated through the use of a device he invented called the crescograph, which magnified mechanical movements many times and allowed for the direct study of plant growth.

Many of his instruments are still on display and remain largely usable now, over 100 years later. They include various antennas, polarizers, and waveguides, all of which remain in use in modern forms today.

Nature published about 27 papers written by him, which is remarkable when compared to even the greatest of the scientists.

External links

• http://www.tuc.nrao.edu/~demerson/bose/bose.html
• http://www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/people.php?taid=&id=1234735&lid=1
• http://www.infinityfoundation.com/ECITboseframeset.htm
• http://www.iisc.ernet.in/insa/ch2.pdf
• JC Bose: 60 GHz in the 1890s