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James Clerk Maxwell
Maxwell discovers that electromagnetic waves can travel through free space. No connection was made, and it ended up being called electromagnetic induction. Despite is defeat, it was the begginning of radio. -
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz noticed the same event happening as Maxwell. In his published experiments of 1887-1888 he demonstrated the existence of the waves. This confirmed Maxwell's theory of Electromagnetic Induction. -
Hertzian Waves
Physicist Oliver Lodge demostrated in his lecture thatHertzian Waves could be transmitted and recieved at up to 50 meters in distances. This was followed up the next year when Jagadish Bose experimented with radio microwave optics. -
First Signal
Guglielmo Marconi patented the first radio signal ever. For a few years after, messages were transmitted only with Morse Code. -
Audion Tube
The Audion Tube was basically an amplifier created by Lee De Forest. It was a partially evacuated tube which held a heated filament, grid, and a plate.They first had a small amount of glass in the tube, which Forest thought was necessary, but it only limited dynamic range. -
Effect of Radio
Now that messages could be transmitted with Morse Code, the military could contact bases back on land from the sea. In 1912, when the Titanic sank, radio saved hundreds of lives because contact was made with land before it actually sank. -
Radio Advertising
Radio makes money from commercials. In 1919 radios began to broadcast continuously. Since they did not know how to advertise through radio, station owners struggled to fund operating a radio system. -
The first radio station
KDKA became the first radio station. It was first 8xK, but later changed. It took nearly 25 years to figure out how to create a radio station from sending messages in Morse Code through electromagnetic waves. -
The First Commercial
Queensboro Corporations aired the first ever commercial on WEAF. The commercial was 10 minutes long, and was for an apartment complex. It aired for $50. That's $2.50 per 30 seconds. Comercials toaday go for about $5000 per 30 seconds. -
Federal Radio Comission
People figured out how to create transmitters and have a radio station on their own. The FRC made it so that people had to have a liscense to have a transmitter. The objective was that radio would be used "as the public interest, convenience, or necessity" -
Call Letters
In 1928, the FRC decided there needed to be call letters, because there could be more than one radio station, and they needed to be differentiated, A 'W'' would mean the station was east of the Mississippi River, and a 'K" would mean west of the river. -
The Decline of Radio
Radio was very popular, but what became even more popular was television. Watching and listening was more interesting than just listening. Plus, advertisers could show the audience their product, which can appeal more to the senses. -
Saving Grace
Music could be played on the radio in people's cars, or just around the house. If you didn't own a certain record this was big because you could listen to it on the radio. Artists like Elvis Presley emerged in mid- 50s -
Rock and Roll on the Radio
Just as the Top-40 stations were getting boring, a group called The Beatles started playing on the radio. A spark went off, and The Stones followed. Radio was back on the entertainment map.
