On This Day – April 13th

On this day in 1892, Robert Watson-Watt was born.  In response to growing concern about the defence of British cities from aerial attack, Watson-Watt, with his assistant Arnold ‘Skip’ Wilkins, developed the world’s first operational radar station at Bawdsey in Suffolk.

This technology proved vital in WW2, allowing the outnumbered RAF to efficiently find and attack incoming Luftwaffe aircraft.  Radar technology developed by Watson-Watt and his team continues to impact our lives today, from weather forecasting to astronomy and archaeology.