Blog Post #5

The Invention of the Radio

Radios

When thinking about technologies of today, the radio isn't one of the inventions that would initially come to my mind. After listening to EOTO presentations this past week, however, I was reminded of the great importance and influence of the radio. It is said that there are many fathers of the radio - from the scientists that recognized the correct frequencies to use and invented the Tesla coils that would be used inside of the radio, to the businessmen that had the patents for the materials and mechanisms needed to create the radios. It is agreed by most, however, that an Italian inventor by the name of Guglielmo Marconi was the very first person to develop the idea of the radio, back in the 1890s. Marconi had been set on finding a mode of communication that didn't need to utilize wires in order to send information back and forth from one location to another. In 1895, then, Marconi began to experiment with the idea of wireless communication, and respectively became successful in sending these types of signals over a distance of one and a half miles. From here, in 1896, Marconi decided to travel to England in order to seek a patent for his findings.

Guglielmo Marconi

Before the radio, people relied on telegraphs to send information across a large span of space. Morse Code was the "language" that people used to communicate through telegraphs, and it was from Morse Code that Marconi's idea for the radio originated from. A telegraph is a device or system in which long-distance messages can be transmitted through wires by electrical signals. These electrical signals are interpreted and understood through the dots and dashes that correspond to certain letters of the alphabet. Marconi dreamed up a telegraph that was wireless - which is what the radio became. I have taken advantage of wireless communication my entire life, and the presentation given in class about the radio reminded me of how fortunate we are to be able to communicate with others so easily over such a great distance.

With World War 1 just on the horizon at this time, there were many individuals and businesses (such as General Electric, and American Telephone and Telegraph) that were looking to develop the telegraph, in order to communicate more complicated and sophisticated messages than the simple dots and dashes that were being used at that time.

Radio Broadcasting

With all of this being said, the invention of the radio took off. Radios were greatly used in wartime by the military, though they were also used as a mechanism for entertainment, news, and advertisement. Radios helped to bring people together, which was proven to be greatly important during the times of the First World War and the Great Depression. Not only were individuals brought closer to one-another, but they felt closer to the government as well. "By 1922 there were 576 licensed radio broadcasters and the publication Radio Broadcast was launched, breathlessly accounting that in the age of radio, 'government will be a living thing to its citizens instead of an abstract and unseen force.'" An example of this were Roosevelt's fireside chats - a series of radio addresses that the 32nd President held, in order to provide support and hope for American citizens.

Radio Waves

Radios utilize electromagnetic waves in order to transmit and receive messages. To be more specific, electrons in the transmitters of radios vibrate, which consequently emits radio waves. These radio waves travel through the air (at the speed of light), and once they hit a receiver they cause the electrons in there to vibrate inside - recreating the original variation of movements of the electrons, and consequently, the same sound. This is electromagnetic waves being converted into mechanical vibrations. In order to pick and choose which transmissions a radio receives, the frequency of the oscillator in the radio must be adjusted.

Radios

Radios have since continued to develop, becoming more accessible and convenient - such as being built into cars, and being built smaller and more portable. The idea of wireless communication has grown as well, from which came inventions such as the telephone. The radio has proven to be a crucial piece of technology for over one hundred years, and will continue to be utilized and influenced by different advances in technology today.