One of the first wireless receivers, made by Marconi in 1896 and used in his celebrated public demonstration at London’s Toynbee Hall. © MHS

Never-before displayed messages from the sinking Titanic and early broadcasting equipment are among the items on show at an outstanding new exhibition at the University of Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science.

Wireless World: Marconi and the making of radio tells the story of the birth of radio, from the inventor’s 1896 demonstrations to the dawn of public broadcasting in the 1920s. The exhibition runs until October 1 2006 and marks the museum’s acquisition of the amazing Marconi Collection from the Marconi Corporation.

The telephone earpiece used to detect the first transatlantic signal, the three dots of Morse code for the letter 'S', in Newfoundland in December 1901. Marconi famously handed this receiver to his assistant with the words, ‘Can you hear anything, Mr Kemp?’ © MHS

Guglielmo Marconi began experimenting with radio waves at home in Bologna, Italy, but came to England in 1896 to find support for a commercial application of his ideas. At the time, telegraphy via wires was being used, but the possibilities of wireless communication were very exciting, in particular for seafarers.

On Salisbury Plain, he demonstrated his wireless system to the Navy, Army and Post Office, then arranged to do it again at Toynbee Hall in London, where General Post Office chief engineer William Preece was giving a public lecture. Preece operated a transmitter that rang a bell in a receiver held by Marconi, who took it all over the hall. It caused a sensation and made the inventor a celebrity.

On show are apparatus from these first displays of radio technology, famous original notebooks and patents. The telephone earpiece used in the first transatlantic transmission in 1901 is another star of the show.

A message between ships close to the Titanic: ‘Titanic struck berg wants assistance urgently ship sinking passengers in boats her position Lat 41.46 Long 50.14’. © Bodleian Library

Wireless communication was soon adopted by the maritime community, for whom it was most valuable. Titanic had two operators on board, using the latest, most powerful equipment available from the company Marconi established in 1900. The distress calls sent from the Titanic to nearby ships meant that hundreds of lives were saved – Marconi was a hero. The transcriptions of the transmitted messages on display at the museum are moving.

Radio equipment was also of crucial strategic importance in the First World War and great advances were made. For example, the development of tracing technology meant that the British Navy could track the movements of the German fleet – such tracking precipitated the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Intercepted messages and Zeppelin tracking charts are also on display in the exhibition.

Dame Nellie Melba making her famous broadcast in 1920, using the microphone now in the exhibition. #169; MHS

Morse code was the predominant language used in transmissions during the war – but speech radio soon took over when amateur radio became popular in the subsequent years. Broadcasting was the next step, and Marconi’s company were again the pioneers.

The Marconi Company arranged the first ever broadcast of public live entertainment at their studio in Chelmsford. The very microphone that Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba used in this 1920 performance is on display in the exhibition.

In just two years time, the BBC (British Broadcasting Company – later Corporation) was founded and the era of popular broadcasting began.