Rudolf Goldschmidt

Rudolf Goldschmidt (March 19, 1876, Neubukow, Mecklenburg - 1950, London) was a German engineer and inventor.

Goldschmidt was born in Neubukow and earned an engineering degree in 1878. He spent the following decade working in England with major firms such as Westinghouse. Subsequently he returned to Germany and eventually became a professor at Darmstadt. During this period he developed the high-frequency radio-telegraph apparatus used in the first direct communications link between Germany and the United States, which was inaugurated on June 19, 1914 with a ceremonial exchange of telegrams between Kaiser Wilhelm II and President Woodrow Wilson.

During the nineteen twenties, Goldschmidt directed an industrial research lab in Berlin. Here he met Albert Einstein. In 1928, a singer with whom the physicist was acquainted suffered a hearing loss, which misfortune set Einstein to thinking about hearing aids. Soon he had an idea and asked Goldschmidt (in verse!) to help him develop a working model. In due course patent 590783 was issued to Goldschmidt and Einstein on January 10, 1934.

In 1934, Goldschmidt emigrated to England. He kept up his correspondence with Einstein until his death in Bournemouth in 1950.