Giovanni Caselli
| Giovanni Caselli | |
|---|---|
Giovanni Caselli
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| Born | 25 April 1815 Siena, Italy |
| Died |
8 June 1891 (aged 76) Florence, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Education | University of Florence |
| Occupation | inventor |
| Known for | pantelegraph |
Father Giovanni Caselli (8 June 1815 – 25 April 1891) was an Italian physicist and priest. He is the inventor of the pantelegraph (a.k.a. Universal Telegraph or "all-purpose telegraph"), the predecessor of the modern fax machine. The world's first practical operating facsimile machine ("fax") system put into use was by Caselli.
At the beginning of his career he was studying literature, history, science and religion. Caselli was appointed a member dell'Ateneo Italian. Besides his interest in science and physics he studied to become a Catholic priest. In 1836 Caselli was ordained.
In 1841 he went to Parma in the Province of Modena to become a tutor for the sons of Count Marquis Sanvitale of Modena. In 1849 he participated in the riots and voted for annexation of the Duchy of Modena to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Because of this he was forced out of Modena whereupon he returned to Florence. In that year he became a professor of physics at the University of Florence.
In Florence he studied physics under Leopoldo Nobili. These studies involved electrochemistry, electromagnetism, electricity and magnetism. Caselli started a journal called "The Recreation" in 1851 which was about the science of physics written in laymen's terms.
Pantèlègraph is a makeup word from "pantograph", a tool that copies words and drawings, plus "telegraph", an electromechanical system that sends messages through a wire over long distances. While Caselli was teaching physics at the University of Florence he devoted much of his research in the technology of telegraphic transmission of images as well as simple words.Alexander Bain and Frederick Bakewell were also working on this technology. The major problem of the time was to get perfect synchronization between the transmitting and receiving parts so they would work together correctly. Caselli developed an electrochemical technology with a "synchronizing apparatus" (regulating clock) to make the sending and receiving mechanisms work together that was far superior to any technology Bain or Bakewell had.
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