The 37th America's Cup is the perfect occasion to celebrate the contribution of Guglielmo Marconi. Barcelona is the ideal city to honor Marconi's memory and recognize his significant role in the history of the most important and famous regatta in the world. The America's Cup Experience, an interactive exhibition open to the public at Port Vell, dedicates an interactive space to Marconi where visitors can learn about and experience the invention of the Wireless Telegraph.
The America's Cup of 1899, held along the coast of New York, witnessed more than just a simple and exciting sailing competition: it marked a crucial moment in the history of sports broadcasting. Guglielmo Marconi, then twenty-five years old, seized the opportunity to demonstrate the power of his "wireless" invention. From the steamship Ponce, he transmitted live updates of the race using Morse code. The signals were picked up by receivers on land set up for the New York Herald newspaper, which had commissioned the project to Marconi. The public was thrilled, and Guglielmo Marconi became an inventor-hero.
