Biography of Heinrich Hertz

Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) is the Discoverer of electro-magnetic Waves and is the namer of the Institute, which was founded in 1928.

February 22, 1857

Hertz is born in Hamburg, the son of Dr. Gustav Hertz (a barrister, later senator) and his wife Elisabeth

1863

Attends a private school

1872

Receives private tutition

April 1874

Enters the upper form of the Johanneum College in Hamburg

March 1875

Passes school-leaving and university entrance exam (Abitur). Prepares for university engineering course as unpaid trainee in the office of a construction firm in Frankfurt am Main

April 1876

Studies engineering at the College of Technology in Dresden

September 1876

Begins one year's military service with a railway regiment in Berlin

October 1877

Continues Study of Engineering in Munich, at the same time attending science lectures at the College of Technology and the University

October 1878

Begins studying physics at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-University in Berlin

March 1880

Receives his doctorate

August 1880

Takes up post as academic assistant at the Institute of Physics

March 1883

Moves to Kiel

Mai 1883

Qualifies as university teacher (receives his Habilitation) at the University of Kiel. Lectures on theoretical physics

March 1885

Becomes Professor of Physics at the School of Technology at Karlsruhe

July 31, 1886

Marries Elisabeth Doll

October 20, 1887

Daughter Johanna is born

April 1889

Is appointed University Professor of Physics at the University of Bonn

January 14, 1891

Daughter Mathilde is born

Summer 1892

Hertz suffers from a bone disease

January 1, 1894

Hertz dies in Bonn