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The Invention of the Radio
Guglielmo Marconi is credited with the invention of the radio in 1895 for his creation of a wireless telegraph system. This system allowed him to send a wireless Morse Code message to a source more than a kilometer away. On March 2nd, 1897, he received an official British patent for the radio. Elon University -
First Voice and Music Signals Heard over Radio Waves
In December 1906, Canadian experimenter Reginald A. Fessenden and his radio team made a breakthrough in radio when they produced an hour of talk and music for technical observers. This was considered a breakthrough in radio technology as radio could now have the potential to be broadcasted in a widespread manner. Reginald A. Fessenden and the Origins of Radio -
First Commercial Radio Broadcast
On November 2, 1920, Pittsburgh's Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company made the first scheduled broadcast under the call sign KDKA. During this transmission, KDKA's Leo Rosenberg revealed live election results between Warren G. Harding and James Cox. The Institutional Context of Industry Consolidation -
First Presidential Radio Broadcast
On Decoration Day (May, 29th) in 1922, President Harding became the first President to utilize radio broadcasting. During this broadcast, Harding stepped in front of a microphone at the Lincoln Memorial and spoke during the Abraham Lincoln ceremony. The ceremony was broadcast over NOF at 412 meters and NAA at 2650 meters. President Coolidge’s Radio Address -
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The Golden Age of Radio
In the 1930s, as the Great Depression started taking place, radio entered its golden age. At this time, the world was undergoing rapid change, and Americans were finally able to keep up with current events as they happened with radio. This period is known as the "Golden Age of Radio" as it had the all-time highest listener count. The Golden Age came to an end in 1945, when President Truman proclaimed Germany's unconditional surrender in World War 2. Golden Age -
FDR's first Fireside Chat and the Beginning of the Golden Age
On March 12th, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation through a radio broadcast in the first of his many fireside chats. This event was important as it was arguably the beginning of the Golden Age of radio. First Fireside Chat