EOTO: The History of the Radio

 Radio is defined as communication by radio waves through the transmission of music, news, and more from broadcast stations to many listeners.

 For years, scientists were trying to figure out a way they could send wireless messages, and many notable names like Nikola Tesla, and Heinrich Hertz worked to make the modern radio possible. Nikola Tesla, a Serbian American inventor, was the one who discovered the basis for the alternating current and created the Tesla Coil which is widely used in radios. In 1885, Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist proved that you could send and receive electric waves wirelessly; the measurement we use to measure wireless frequencies are named after him. In 1890, an Italian inventor by the name of Guglielmo Marconi had the idea for a wireless telegraph. He continued to work on his inventions and in 1895, he sent a wireless morse code message to a source over a kilometer away. He received a patent for it. By 1900, there were 4 competing wireless systems. 

Before WWI scientists from big companies like American Telephone and Telegraph (now AT&T) and General Electric, as well as independent inventors were trying to figure out a way to send wireless messages that were more advanced than morse code. In December of 1906, Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor, produced an hour of talk and music radio for technical observers and radio amateurs from Massachusetts. In 1908, in San Jose California, Charles “Doc” Herrold was the first person to start providing regularly scheduled voice and music programs for his listeners. 

During WWI, the government forced radio transmitters off the air and the advancement in radio technology was stalled. After the war, in the 1920s there was a radio boom and during this time, radios began being integrated into society. The golden age of the radio was between 1935 and 1955. During this time it became a household item and around 60% of American families owned a radio. 

The radio revolutionized communication in many ways. It sped up the news process by being able to broadcast what was happening almost immediately instead of having to wait a few days for the press to receive the information and then print it out and deliver it. It also made news more accessible for people living in rural areas because it would take them even longer to receive their news. During WWII, reports of battles, victories, and defeats were broadcasted. Political leaders like presidents, Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, Hitler, and more had their messages broadcasted over the radio to reach larger groups of people and influence public opinion.     

When it came to using the radio for entertainment purposes, people had greater access to a variety of music and many artists like the Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Ella Fitzgerald gained popularity due to their music being broadcasted. Families would gather around the radio to listen to plays, comedy routines, sports broadcasting, church services, and more. Universities began to offer radio based courses, and for navigation, ships and panes began using the radio to figure out where either ships and planes were.

To this day the radio is in use in many different ways. There are mobile radios, like walkie-talkies, hand held radios, and even our cell phones can be considered radios, not to mention, you have a radio app on your phone where you can listen to both FM and AM radio stations. Radios are in every car, and people like truck drivers and police officers use radios to communicate with each other while in the field.