Father Landell
History & Chronology
”In the world nothing is impossible, if the person has faith, hope and charity. ”
– Roberto Landell de Moura
1827
Dr. Robert Landell emigrated to Brazil with his wife in 1827. He was from Edrom, Scotland. Dr. Robert Landell was the grandfather of Roberto Landell de Moura.
1861
Roberto Landell de Moura, also known as father Landell, was born in this house in Porto Alegre city, state of Rio Grande do Sul in the south of Brazil, on January 21st 1861. Son of Ignacio Jose Ferreira de Moura, Portuguese descendent and Marianna Landell de Moura, Dr. Robert Landell’s daughter.
1877
Father Landell moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1877 for technical and scientific studies at “Escola Politecnica” School, today the Philosophy and Social Science Institute (IFCS/UFRJ). Unable to pay tuition, however, he took a job as a store clerk. As per one of Landell’s manuscripts at the age of 16 he wrote ” I made some chemistry compositions, such as cavity extraction. I built a telephone. I did autopsy of a cat, and studied the influence that it could have in the atmospheric electricity”.
1878 - 1886
Father Landell’s educational trajectory took him to study in Rome, Italy, with 17years old. He studied at Pio Latino Americano College and graduated in Theology, becoming a priest in 1886. During his time in Italy, he also graduated in Physics and Chemistry at the Gregorian University. Such education gave him the research base for his inventions, especially the wireless communication at distance whereas in a later stage, was recognized as the principles of the radio transmission.
This is Father’s Landell ordination letter issued by ” Pio Latino Americano” school. Below where the school was located. in 1867 the school moved to this location and started officially to be called ” Colegio Pio Latino Americano”, staying at this location till 1887.
1891
Landell de Moura family in 1891, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Photo was taken at the Father Landell’s parents house. He is standing on the further right of the photo and his brother Guilherme on the further left, both wearing liturgical vestments. The couple sitting in the middle is Ignacio Jose Ferreira de Moura and Marianna Landell de Moura, Father Landell’s parents.
1899 - 1st Public Wireless Telephony Experiment with the Press and Personalities invited.
July 16th 1899 the Brazilian newspaper ” O Estado de São Paulo” published Father Landell experiment of wireless telephony with equipments invented and built by himself. Many authorities and the press were invited. Transmission was made in São Paulo city, from the Santana School (transmitter), at the time called “Colegio das Irmas de Sao Jose”, to the “Bandeiras” bridge (receptor). as per records, Father Landell said” play the national anthem”. In the same day, another 3 newspapers published the experiment, “Correo Paulistano”, ” Jornal do Comercio (RJ)” and ” A Imprensa (RJ)”. in the next day, the newspaper “Jornal do Brasil (RJ)” published the experiment was successful.
This is the transmitter. The tube is from where he would talk the “microphone”. Below Santana School location.
1900 - 2nd Public Wireless Telephony Experiment with the Press and Personalities invited.
In June 3rd 1900, the Brazilian newspaper ” Jornal do Commercio” reports Landell made a public wireless demonstration at a distance of about 8km (~5miles) a part, in a straight line between Paulista avenue to Santa Ana School (at the time “Colegio das Irmas de Sao Jose), in São Paulo, Brazil. The newspaper also reported the presence of Mr. Percy Charles Parmenter Lupton, a Great Britain government representative and his family.
This was Paulista avenue in the year 1900 when Father Landell made this demonstration.
1901 - 1st Patent
Landell’s 1st patent registered with the Brazilian government in March 9th 1901 for the “phonetic equipment for distance transmission, wire and wireless, across the space, earth and water”. Patent No 3.279
In July, same year, Father Landell moved to live in the U.S.A. taking up residence in Manhattan, New York, to register his Patents while surviving on a subsistence income.
1902 - American Newspapers coverage on wireless telephone invention
The newspaper the New York Herald published an interview with Father Landell in October 12th 1902, in the USA, on his inventions with the title ” Talking over a gap of miles along a ray of light”. under the picture taken was written “Rev. Father Landell de Moura – Inventor of the Wireless Telephone apparatus”. The reporter asked him ” what is the distance the apparatus can reach?” father Landell replied ” Practically the infinity”. In the occasion he also gave interviews to others American newspapers such as The St. Paul Globe and The St. Louis Republic, and in Brazil to others newspapers.
1904 - 3 other Patents in the USA.
3 patents were registered in The United Patent Office of New York, U.S.A. :
- Wave Transmitter (radio waves). Patent No 771.917. October 11th 1904
- Wireless Telephone. Patent No 775.337. November 22nd 1904.
- Wireless Telegraph. Patent No775.846. November 22nd 1904.
1907
As per one of many Landell’s Manuscripts, the ” Caderno A” under the tittle ” O Perianto” Landell thoroughly describes his research about the invisible electoluminescent light radiation i.e. the human and animal Aura. It was about 3 decades earlier, then the Russian couple Semyon and Valentina Kirlian wrote about this phenomenon in 1939, by which it passed to be called Kirlian effect thereafter. However, in the year 2000, under the acknowledgment of Landell’s research decades before in the field, the name was changed to Bioelectrography.
1928
Father Landell passed away in June 30th 1928, with 67 years old, in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. His remains are at the Rosario Church Porto Alegre city Brazil.
Father Landell dedicated his life to the Church, Studies, Research and Inventions. He was one of the pioneers of the wireless communication. He researched and wrote about many diverse subjects as we can see in his manuscripts, such as about Psychology, Hypnotism, The Nature, God, Love, Pain, Spiritualism, Anthropology, Physic and Psychological diseases, Medicines, etc.
”Religion is done at home, with closed doors."
– Roberto Landell de Moura
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Our objective is to consolidate and propagate the history of the Brazilian wireless inventor.