The Earth's Atmosphere & Beyond!
Pioneers & Innovators

Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt was born in 1892 in Brechin.  He first studied meteorology using short-wave radio to detect the location of thunderstorms.  He then designed a system that was capable of detecting airplanes.  He called this system Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR).

By 1940 during the Battle of Britain, radar was able to detect enemy aircraft at any time of the day in any weather conditions.  In 1940, Watson-Watt became the scientific advisor to the Air Ministry and in 1941 he set up radar systems in the United States.

This is a picture of Watson-Watt's lab.
 

References:
http://www.wdc.rl.ac.uk/ionosondes/history/watsonwatt.html
http://www.geocities.com/neveyaakov/electro_science/watson-watt.html
 

Created by Randi L. Sebourn