Heinrich Hertz

German physicist (1857–1894)
Person human Q41257
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Summary

Heinrich Hertz was born on February 22, 1857[1], in Hamburg[2]. He died on January 1, 1894[3], in Bonn[4]. He worked as a physicist[5], philosopher[6], inventor[7], and university teacher[8]. He ranks in the top 0.69% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (5,144 views/month, #6,886 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • Place of burial: Ohlsdorf Cemetery[10]
  • Father: Gustav Ferdinand Hertz[11]
  • Spouse: Elisabeth Hertz[12]
  • Child: Mathilde Carmen Hertz[13], Johanna Hertz[14]
  • Country of citizenship: Hamburg[15]
  • Field of work: physics[16], electrical engineering[17], acoustics[18], electromagnetic wave[19]
  • Employer: University of Bonn[20], Kiel University[21], TH Karlsruhe[22], Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Institut für Physik[23]
  • Educated at: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München[24], Frederick William University Berlin[25], Technical University of Munich[26], TUD Dresden University of Technology[27], Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums[28]
  • Doctoral advisor: Hermann von Helmholtz[29], Wilhelm von Bezold[30]
  • Award received: Rumford Medal[31], Matteucci Medal[32], La Caze Prize of the Academy of Sciences[33], Bressa Prize[34], CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame[35], honorary member of the Physics Association (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)[36]
  • Member of: Maxwellians[37], Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences[38], Academy of Sciences of Turin[39], Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony[40], Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei[41]
  • Religion or worldview: Lutheranism[42]
  • Sex or gender: male[43]
  • Doctoral student: Vilhelm Bjerknes[44], George Udny Yule[45], Josef Geitler von Armingen[46]
  • Commons category: Heinrich Rudolf Hertz[47]
  • Archives at: Archive of the Deutsches Museum[48]
  • Cause of death: sepsis[49]
  • Family name: Hertz[50]
  • Given name: Heinrich[51], Rudolf[52]
  • Topic's main category: Category:Heinrich Hertz[53]
  • Commons gallery: Heinrich Rudolf Hertz[54]
  • Work location: Bonn[55]

Body

Works and Contributions

Things named for Heinrich Hertz include hertz[56], Heinrich Hertz Tower[57], Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications[58], he[59], and IEEE Heinrich Hertz Medal[60].

Why It Matters

Heinrich Hertz has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[61] He is known by 84 alternative names across languages and contexts.[62]

He has been cited as an influence by Vilhelm Bjerknes[63], a physicist[64], 1862–1951[65], of Norway[66], awarded the Fridtjof Nansen Award of Excellence, Mathematics-Natural sciences class[67], specialised in physics[68] and Christian Hülsmeyer[69], an inventor[70], 1881–1957[71], of Germany[72], specialised in applied physics[73].

He is credited with the discovery of electromagnetic radiation[74]. Entities named for him include hertz[56], Heinrich Hertz Tower[57], Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications[58], he[59], and IEEE Heinrich Hertz Medal[60].

His notable doctoral advisees include Vilhelm Bjerknes[75], a physicist[76], 1862–1951[77], of Norway[78], awarded the Fridtjof Nansen Award of Excellence, Mathematics-Natural sciences class[79], specialised in physics[80]; George Udny Yule[81], a mathematician[82], 1871–1951[83], of United Kingdom[84], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[85]; and Josef Geitler von Armingen[86], a physicist[87], 1870–1923[88], of Austria[89].

FAQs

Where was Heinrich Hertz born?

Heinrich Hertz was born in Hamburg[2].

Where did Heinrich Hertz die?

Heinrich Hertz died in Bonn[4].

Who were Heinrich Hertz's parents?

Heinrich Hertz's father was Gustav Ferdinand Hertz[11].

Who was Heinrich Hertz married to?

Heinrich Hertz's spouses include Elisabeth Hertz[12].

What did Heinrich Hertz do for work?

Heinrich Hertz worked as a physicist[5], philosopher[6], inventor[7], and university teacher[8].

Where did Heinrich Hertz go to school?

Heinrich Hertz was educated at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München[24], Frederick William University Berlin[25], Technical University of Munich[26], and TUD Dresden University of Technology[27].

What awards did Heinrich Hertz receive?

Honors received include Rumford Medal[31], Matteucci Medal[32], La Caze Prize of the Academy of Sciences[33], and Bressa Prize[34].

Who did Heinrich Hertz influence?

Heinrich Hertz has been cited as an influence by Vilhelm Bjerknes[63] and Christian Hülsmeyer[69].

What did Heinrich Hertz discover?

Heinrich Hertz is credited as discoverer of electromagnetic radiation[74].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [43] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [24] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  10. [25] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  11. [26] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [27] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [28] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  14. [16] ↑ . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [18] ↑ . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  17. [19] ↑ . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [5] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [20] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [21] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [22] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [23] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  26. [10] ↑ . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  27. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [31] ↑ . royalsociety.org. royalsociety.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  29. [32] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  30. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  31. [34] ↑ . Premio Bressa. accademiadellescienze.it. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  32. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [30] ↑ . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  36. [44] ↑ . Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  37. [45] ↑ . Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  38. [46] ↑ . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  39. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  40. [37] ↑ . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  41. [38] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  42. [39] ↑ . www.accademiadellescienze.it. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  43. [40] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  44. [41] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  45. [48] ↑ . kalliope-verbund.info. kalliope-verbund.info. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  46. [49] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  47. [1] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . brockhaus.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  48. [3] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . brockhaus.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  49. [50] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  50. [51] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  51. [52] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  52. [53] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  53. [54] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  54. [55] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [63] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [69] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [74] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [75] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [81] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [86] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [56] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [57] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [58] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [59] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [60] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [64] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [65] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [66] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [67] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [68] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [70] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [71] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [72] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [73] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [76] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [77] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [78] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [79] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [80] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [82] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [83] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [84] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [85] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [87] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [88] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [89] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [61] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [62] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Heinrich Hertz. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/heinrich-hertz
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 5d ago · Birkho · 2026-10-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Signature → Unterschrift Heinrich Hertz deutscher Physiker.svg
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1 */ Signature: Unterschrift Heinrich Hertz deutscher Physiker.svg"
  2. 6d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-10-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Nlb authority id (belarus) → SEK-336005
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Nlb authority id (belarus): SEK-336005, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/289738|batch #289738]]"
  3. 10d ago · Printstream · 2026-10-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sitelink count → 112
    Wikipedia languages → ['af', 'an', 'ar', 'arz', 'ast', 'ay', 'az', 'azb', 'ban', 'be', 'be_x_old', 'bg
    Image url → —
    Image artist → —
    + 6 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/57570|batch #57570]]: Import LEO-BW ID"
  4. 7w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Babelnet id → 00043551n
    Arabic ontology lexical concept id → 151060026
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||4 */ added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  5. 10w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-08-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Accademia nazionale dei lincei id → 1133-hertz-heinrich-r
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/45365|batch #45365]]: Update P14091 IDs"
  6. 13w ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14541 → 3fDG2Y, Z97Bb
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/40849|batch #40849]]: ZGBK ID"
  7. 15w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 → 365274
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14536: 365274, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
  8. 18w ago · Krateven · 2026-06-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Jewish encyclopedia id (russian) → 11130
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Jewish encyclopedia id (russian): 11130"
  9. 19w ago · Sj1mor · 2026-06-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Plaque image → Gedenktafel Clausius-Hertz.jpg, Gedenkstein Invalidenstr 110 (Mitte) Physiker2.jpg, Heinrich Hertz Geburtshaus Poststraße 18.jpg +2
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Plaque image: Büste von Heinrich Hertz in Karlsruhe.jpg"
  10. 21w ago · PhysVerein · 2026-05-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    Award received → Rumford Medal, Matteucci Medal, La Caze Prize of the Academy of Sciences +3
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/31756|batch #31756]]: Ehrenmitglieder"
  11. 23w ago · Ferran Mir · 2026-05-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Employer → University of Bonn, Kiel University, TH Karlsruhe +1
    Doctoral student → Vilhelm Bjerknes, George Udny Yule, Josef Geitler von Armingen
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1|2 */ Place of birth: Hamburg"
  12. 23w ago · Ferran Mir · 2026-05-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Academic thesis → Über die Induktion in rotierenden Kugeln
    Educated at → Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Frederick William University Berlin, Technical University of Munich +2
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Academic thesis: Über die Induktion in rotierenden Kugeln"
  13. 23w ago · Ferran Mir · 2026-05-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Helveticarchives id → 11855008X
    Image → HEINRICH HERTZ.JPG, Heinrich rudolf hertz.jpg
    Plaque image → Gedenktafel Clausius-Hertz.jpg, Gedenkstein Invalidenstr 110 (Mitte) Physiker2.jpg, Heinrich Hertz Geburtshaus Poststraße 18.jpg +2
    Relative → Gustav Ludwig Hertz
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1 */ Educated at: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München"
  14. 23w ago · Ferran Mir · 2026-05-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation → physicist, philosopher, inventor +1
    Place of death → Bonn
    Instance of → human
    Field of work → physics, electrical engineering, acoustics +1
    + 36 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1 */ Place of burial: Ohlsdorf Cemetery"
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