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James Maxwell's Discovery in Electromagnetic Waves
Towards the later half of the 19th century, James Clerk Maxwell made the revolutionary discovery that, theoretically and mathematically, electromagnetic waves can travel through free space. This would prove to be a conclusion that future scientists and inventors would expand upon in order to find new ways to control radio waves in the future. -
Emergence of First Commercially Successful Wireless Telegraphy System
Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi would eventually be one of the first individuals to develop a system of communication using airborne Hertzian waves. Over the next three years, he would go on to expand the range at which radio waves could travel by developing new communication apparatuses, disproving the theories of scientists who previously thought that radio waves had a limited set range. In 1897, Marconi opened a landmark radio station in England, which helped start off the radio industry. -
First Radio Broadcast
After years of developments, radio technology finally reached the point where a broadcast could be successful. As a result, on Christmas Eve of 1906, inventor of AM radio, Reginald Fessenden, debuted radio broadcasts which include him playing O Holy Night on the violin and reading a passage from the Bible. -
First Radio News Broadcast
At the the turn of the century, the radio industry began to truly take shape and find its own identity. Starting on August 31, 1920, a staple of radio communication, news broadcasts, was first debuted by station 8MK in Detroit, Michigan. -
Debut of Radio Entertainment Broadcasts
Sometime later in October, the first entertainment broadcast in the U.S. aired on station 2ADD. This broadcast had a limited range, but included sounds from a series of Thursday night concerts. In the following years, entertainment would become a major component of the identity of this industry. -
Debut of Sports Radio Broadcasts
On the station 2ADD, the first broadcast of a sporting event would eventually debut in November of the same year as previously mentioned landmarks. This is especially important in terms of radio evolution, since sports radio has become a large staple of the industry with large amounts of money and businesses being involved. -
Invention of FM Radio
FM, or frequency modulation, radio was first patented back 1933 by inventor Edwin H. Armstrong. This would prove to be a very noteworthy advancement since FM radio uses frequency modulation to reduce static and interference from electrical equipment in the atmosphere. In the grand scheme of things, FM radio would eventually lead to the creation of modern television, as well as the improvement of radio broadcast services. -
Pocket Transistor Radios
The company known as Regency would eventually make their own advancements in Radio technology in the form of their pocket transistor radio, the TR-1. Their advancements are notable since this transistor radio would pave the way for more portable radios that made the industry more affordable and accessible. -
Emergence of Internet Radio
Towards the end of the 20th century, the internet began to rise as the world's primary source of entertainment of several forms. A man known as Carl Malamud was one of the first to pioneer internet radio with his show "Internet Talk Radio." From this point onward, streaming services online and internet radio broadcasts would become the new main means of radio broadcasting used across the world. -
Emergence of Software-Defined Radio
Towards the first half of the 90s, the United States army, along with DARPA, made the decision to construct an advance form of radio. This type of radio was notable for its accessibility and advancement of the technology, for it had the ability to be programmed to be virtually any radio that was needed at any given moment.
