Karl Ferdinand Braun (June 6, 1850 - April 20, 1918) was a German physicist, born in Fulda. Braun was educated at the University of Marburg and received a Ph.D from the University of Berlin in 1872.In 1874 he discovered the point-contact rectifier effect. He became director of the Physical Institute and professor of physics at Strasbourg in 1895. In 1897 he built the first cathode-ray tube oscilloscope. The CRT is still called the "Braun tube" in the German speaking countries. He also worked on wireless telegraphy from 1898, inventing the crystal rectifier. Guglielmo Marconi admitted to 'borrowing' Braun's patents. In 1909 Braun shared the Nobel Prize for physics with Marconi for "contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy."

Braun went to the United States at the beginning of WWI to help defend the German wireless station at Sayville against attacks by the British Marconi Corporation. He died in his house in Brooklyn before the war ended in 1918.

References

• "Ferdinand Braun – Biography". Nobel Lectures. Physics 1901-1921, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1967.
• Naughton, Russell, "Karl Ferdinand Braun, Dr : 1850 - 1918".
• "Karl Ferdinand Braun ". Biographies of Famous Electrochemists and Physicists Contributed to Understanding of Electricity.
• "Karl Ferdinand Braun". Timeline of Nobel Prize Winners, PHYSICS.
• Rybak, James P., "Forgotten" Pioneers of Wireless; Part 5 - Karl Ferdinand Braun".
• "Karl Ferdinand Braun, 1850-1918". (German) (English translation)