Blog#5 The Radio

 The radio has been a very significant development in communication technology for mankind. It allowed messages to be broadcasted to millions of people which allowed advancements in advertising, music, and storytelling. The radio was invented in 1895 by Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi who sent and received his first radio signal that year. Nikola Tesla came up with a similar device in the same year in New York. However, Marconi was able to get the patent faster. The first transatlantic signal was sent in 1902.  Despite Mr. Marconi being the primary person behind the invention of the radio, there were several others who contributed to the Invention. In 1866, an American Dentist named Mahlon Loomis demonstrated wireless telegraphy.  The telegraph required cables to be connected so that information could be spread. The telegraph could also not send sound but instead, send an electric current which was then created into a system known as morse code. This code relied on dots and dashes and required someone to translate those dots and dashes into words. The radio was able to pick up a signal and allow the receiver just to listen to the audio. This made the process a lot easier. 

The radio has had a profound effect on human history and human communication. It has allowed people to send signals from thousands of miles away making communication much faster. The Radio has allowed advertisements to be sent out to millions of people. It has allowed people to find entertainment through stories on the radio and music. News is also spread through the radio, making humans able to understand what is going on in the world. The radio, relying on sound, lets blind people or illiterate people get information. Sports and religious ceremonies are also spread via the radio. There are numerous stations that are operating, allowing people to find entertainment and education. There is commercial radio which is large radio stations (AM and FM) and amateur or Ham radio. Using a ham radio, people are able to send messages to one another or even across the world.  However, the FCC requires that you have a license in order to operate a Ham radio. 

The radio is also a big part of why FDR got elected. He was able to spread his message to millions of people. New methods of communication allow new ideas to be spread. FDR was able to give his fireside chats to his supporters. He was able to communicate complex policy ideas, such as banking regulation through the radio. If the radio hadn't existed, FDR wouldn't have been able to campaign as effectively as he was disabled. The radio gave rise to new ideas and new technologies. If the radio had not existed, television and the internet would probably have been invented or would have been very different.  Radios were occasionally used to spread bigotry such as in the case of Charles Coughlin who attacked Jewish bankers. With technology improving, new challenges are created. People need to understand that they should verify what they hear and make sure that it is logically sound. Foul language and other potentially offensive things can be spread via the radio. Like many technologies, the radio is but a tool and should be used appropriately. Radio has allowed mass communication, education, and entertainment. It is largely a technology that is seen as being out of date, but it has paved the way for newer technologies to develop.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iipnhLTdh-0

https://public.wsu.edu/~bryan.mclaughlin/Radio/Who_Invented_Radio.html

https://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_whoradio.html#:~:text=Tesla%20filed%20his%20own%20basic,of%20Tesla%20and%20other%20inventors.