History of the radio

• Trabalho realizado por:

• Carolina Raposo Nº 5
• Gonçalo Galvão Nº 11
• Salvador Pinto Nº23
Who invented the first radio?
Before the 19th century, wireless radio communication in everyday life was a thing of fantasy. Even

after the development of the radio in the late 1800s, it took many years before radios went

mainstream and became a household fixture.

While the radio is very popular and big, its earliest beginnings are still quite controversial, there is a

debate on who created the first radio. We do not know who built the first radio device, but we know
Guglielmo Marconi
that in 1893 the inventor Nikolai Tesla demonstrated a wireless radio in St. Louis, Missouri.

Despite this demonstration, Guglielmo Marconi is the most often credited as the father and inventor

of the radio. It was him that was awarded the very first wireless telegraphy patent in England in the

year 1896, securing his spot in radio´s history.

A year later, however, Tesla filed for patents for his basic in the United States. His patent request was

granted in 1900, four years after Marconi´s patent was awarded.

Regardless of who created the first radio, on December 12, 1901, Marconi became the first person

to transmit signals across the Atlantic Ocean.

Nikolai Tesla
 Biography of Guglielmo
Marconi

Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi was born on April 25th, 1874, in

Bologna, Italy, and died on July 20th, 1937, in Rome, Italy. Marconi
was known for being an Italian inventor and electrical engineer,
known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission,
the development of Marconi's law, and a radio telegraph system. He
is credited as the inventor of the radio, and he shared the 1909 Nobel
Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun “in recognition of their
contribution of wireless telegraphy”. He is also an entrepreneur,
businessman, and founder of The Wireless Telegraph & Signal
Company in the United Kingdom in 1897. At the age of 20, Marconi
began to conduct experiments in radio waves, building his equipment
in the attic of his home ate the Villa Griffone in Ponteccchio. Awards:
Matteucci Medal (1901), Nobel Prize for Physics (1909), Albert Medal
(1914), Franklin Medal (1918), IEEE Medal of Honor (1920), and John
Fritz Medal (1923).
 Why is the radio
important for society?

Radio is more than just announcements, news, and

songs. Radio broadcasts provide real-time information,
and some that broadcast 24 hours a day, can provide the
most recent updates to listeners. Also, can reach across
borders and can be a valuable source of information
where reliable news is limited.
The radio can also be used for education, as a social
medium, during wartime, etc.
 Why is the radio important
for society? (continuation)
For education:
An example of why is the radio used for education purposes is that in 1919 in the
Netherlands, full audio came to radios when the first commercial radio station
was opened. The rest of the world followed this and by the 20s and 30s,
commercials were popping everywhere. This was ideal for delivering education,
as college lectures and textbooks were previously the only way you could learn
new things.
As a social medium:
Before social media got big, the original social medium was the radio. During the
high points in its history, that is in the 20s and 50s, more shows were
broadcasted every week ever before and it brought people together, whether it
was to just listen and dance to music, listen to something funny or a sports event
broadcast.
One great example, was during the Great Depression, because even when people
were very poor, they could still afford this form of entertainment.
It also had a profound impact on the music industry, as it meant people had
access to a greater variety of music throughout the country and across the world.
Much of the fame and popularity that recording artists such as Louis Armstrong
and Ella Fitzgerald was down to exposure they gained through the radio.
During wartime:
Radio became essential during World War II, as it was used to inform citizens
about what was happening in the efforts of the Allied Forces. Interestingly it was
feared and loved in equal measures because the authorities used radio to
promote their propaganda and scaremonger.
 Events through history of society
that influenced radio
• World War I:
At the onset of World War I the radio was primarily used to contact ships that were
out at sea. Radio communications were not very clear, so operators typically relied
on the use of Morse code messages. With World War I brought the radio became
apparent, and its use increased significantly. During the war, the military used it
almost exclusively and it became an invaluable tool and receiving messages to the
armed forces in real-time, without the need for a physical messenger.
• World War II:
In late 1941, radio technology had vastly improved from the equipment available in
the 1910s. Vacuum tube radios were very bulky and hard to carry, were now smaller.
This paved way for lighter weight, portable, battery-operated transistors radios,
encased in metal, for military use during the war. Also, soldiers on the ground could
communicate with airplanes, submarines, and tanks. Transmissions went greater
distances and were more reliable, and soon became a staple of the war effort.To
make radio transmissions more secure, the US Marines employed Navajo (or Diné),
one of the most complex Native American languages, to send messages during
World War II. This project began with 30 Navajo “code talkers”, who helped to
develop a virtually uncrackable cipher based in their native language (including
“Moustache Smeller” as code for Adolf Hitler). This project was very successful,
particularly against the Japanese.
 Events through history of
society that influenced radio
• Martin Luther King Speech:
In 1963, Martin Luther King delivered a powerful and rare speech
in Atlanta to NATRA (National Association of Television and Radio
Announcers). The members of this important African American
organization were very appreciative as Martin laid out the
indispensable role that Black radio had in shaping and furthering
the Civil Rights struggle. Martin also talks about how radio is the
most important and predominant medium in the Black
community. Martin asserted that it helped to unite people. Also,
he pointed out how Black and White communities were listening
to the same songs and doing the same dances and that Soul
Music had served as an important cultural bridge.

• Radio and Pirate boats:

There is little information about the first pirate radio station, but
it started broadcasting from the sea in 1925. However, it was in
the 60s that the pirate stations experienced a big rise. In Europe,
these radio stations wanted to oppose the state monopoly on
broadcasting. To do so, they broadcasted from international
waters to escape the regulations of their countries. They were
mainly Dutch, English, Danish, and Swedish radio stations.
The most famous one is Radio Caroline, which was broadcasted in
1964 from an old Danish ferry.
Webgraphy

https://www.techwholesale.com/history-of-the-radio.html
https://www.mvorganizing.org/when-was-the-radio-first-invented/
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Marconi
https://industrytoday.com/the-impact-of-radio-invention-on-humanity/
https://dp.la/exhibitions/radio-golden-age/radio-frontlines/radio-codes
https://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/martin-luther-king-the-importance-
of-black-radio-using-words-as-weapons/
https://www.radioking.com/blog/great-moments-that-shaped-radio-history/