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Heinrich Hertz
Heinrich Hertz was the first to send and receive radio waves. However, James Maxwell already predicted their existence in 1864, mathematically. Hertz produced electromagnetic waves in the laboratory and measured their wavelength and velocity, during the time that he was a professor of physics (1885-1889). Hertz showed that the nature of their reflection and refraction was the same as those of light, confirming that light waves are electromagnetic radiation obeying the Maxwell equations. -
Guglielmo Marconi Develops the Radio
After many experiments in wireless telegraphy, Guglielmo Marconi created the first successful form of radio communication. In 1899, he founded the Marconi Telegraph Company and later successfully sent wireless signals across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving what the majority of people believed of the Earth's curvature affecting transmission. He is credited with the invention of the radio. -
Reginald Fessenden "The Radio Pioneer"
In 1900 Reginald Fessenden started to conduct experiments in wireless telegraphy for the U.S. Weather Bureau, which wanted to adapt radiotelegraphy to weather forecasting. He took interest in transmitting continuous sound, particularly that of the human voice. On December 23, 1900, he succeeded in transmitting a brief voice message between two stations located about 1 mile apart. -
Lee DeForest "The Father of Radio"
Lee DeForest invented a three-element vacuum-tube detector which he called an Audion, but it did not work. After a few years of a break, more capable scientists and engineers improved the vacuum-tubes into loud and powerful amplifiers, which would have a huge impact on radio reception. This would later be replaced with transmitters. -
Edwin Armstrong
Edwin Armstrong was an American electrical engineer and inventor but is most commonly known for inventing FM (frequency-modulation) radio in 1933. FM improved the audio signal of radio by controlling the noise static caused by electrical equipment and the earth’s atmosphere. -
Orson Welles' War of the Worlds
Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air had performed a radio modification of H.G. Wells’ The war of the Worlds, reorganizing the 40-year-old novel into fake news bulletins describing a Martian invasion of New Jersey. Millions of radio listeners were shocked when the radio news alerts announced the arrival of the Martians. People panicked when they heard about the Martians’ ruthless and seemingly unstoppable attack on Earth. -
WWII Was a Radio War
Even though it was invented in 1927, back in the late 30's and early 40's not many households had a television. They got their nightly news and entertainment over the radio. The radio was an essential part of every family's nightly routine as it connected your family with what was happening in the war and in the world in general. Every victory and defeat. From the beginning all the way to the very end, families were listening to their radios every night to keep up with the so called "Radio War". -
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio is the worlds largest radio broadcasting company. As of May 2016 there were over 85 million registered users. The company owns 800 AM/FM radio stations and over 1,500 live radio stations.
