The Story of Communication:

Radio—Fascinating Facts

• The inventor of radio, Guglielmo Marconi, began his invention trail when he was 19.
• Marconi made one of his greatest radio discoveries when he accidentally left part of his antenna on the ground.
• Marconi, an Italian, offered his invention of radio to the Italian government. It was turned down as having no value.
• The emergency radio signal was not always “S.O.S.” It started out as “C.Q.D.” (calling all stations, disaster). “S.O.S.” was easier to remember.
• Japan won what may be the world’s most one-sided naval battle in 1904 after the Russian fleet shut down its new-fangled radio contact.
• Another ship was only 19 miles away when the Titanic signaled distress, but its radio operator had shut down and gone to sleep.
• The first radio law passed by Congress, in 1912, allowed anyone who passed a competency test to get a license. That started some fortunes.
• The self-styled “father of radio,” Lee De Forest, did not understand all that the vacuum tube he invented could do.
• The word “broadcasting” comes from the action of a farmer broadly casting seeds over a field.
• Early radio hobbyists, including many teenagers, built “cat’s whisker” radio receivers by wrapping wire around a Quaker Oats box.
• When radio commercials began, some stations worried that toothpaste might be too intimate a produce to advertise on air.
• Radio and TV compete with newspapers for ads, but programs are listed free. Movie theaters don’t compete, but must pay for listings.
• During the “Golden Age” of radio, announcers were hired for their lack of regional accents.
• Most businesses shrank during the Depression of the 1930s. Radio grew.
• Newspapers once tried to limit the amount of news that radio stations could get. Radio won this “Press-Radio War.”
• Phonographs and radios were accepted into homes after manufacturers disguised them with wood cabinets, just like pianos.
• In 1938 the radio drama, “War of the Worlds,” sent people into the streets in panic, believing Martians had invaded.
• One company, Clear Channel, now owns about 1,200 radio stations.
• Two radio station owners sitting in a tavern noticed that a few songs were played over and over on a jukebox. This led to “Top 40 Radio.”
• Friendly truck drivers who once used radio CB rigs to warn others of “smokies” waiting to pounce on drivers now use cellphones.

Other Resources for Radio

• Websites to Explore

• Timeline

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