How the Radio Affected Americans

The radio was an important part of life from the 1920s until the 1950s (mortaljourney.com). People turned to the radio for entertainment like music and stories. Even preachers began to preach over the radio that was heard by a large group. During the war, radios produced information on current events otherwise they would not have known unless the radio was available. Radios are also used for police, military, and even for the average person. The radio was the first way mass communication was even possible. They are one the greatest inventions that changed American's lives dramatically. From 1923 until 1930 sixty percent of the population in the United States owned a radio. It not only gives information, but advertises businesses or community events by commercials. Today, the radio reaches over 228 million Americans each week by phones, in cars, and on the internet (entrepenur.com). In the late 1800s, James Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz detected electromagnetic waves from sparks. The electromagnetic waves were Richmond 2 thought to be unusable until Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, found a practical use for them (Mack)(clemson.edu). He started using the electromagnetic waves in just his backyard. This was the first step to creating the radio. Later, Marconi sent the first radio signal one mile away to Italy and received it in 1895 (about.com). In 1901, he successfully sent signals across the Atlantic sea. Not only did Marconi try to make the radio possible but four years earlier Nikola Tesla was leading towards making the first radio. So, Tesla was named the “Inventor of the Radio” and Marconi made the first radio. It was said that in 1892 Nathan Stubblefield has actually transmitted a radio signal four years before Marconi ... ... middle of paper ... ... even used to help save the Titantic in 1912, which was over one hundred years ago. In spite of the thought that radios would never be practical there are over two billion radio sets in the world today (didyouknow.com). Works Cited ⦁ http://didyouknow.org/history/radiohistory/ ⦁ http://inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/radio.htm ⦁ http://www.mortaljourney.com/2011/04/1920-trends/radio-history ⦁ http://www.otrcat.com/wwii-on-the-radio.html ⦁ http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/harding-becomes-first-president-to-be-heard-on-the-radio ⦁ http://www.history.com/topics/fireside-chats ⦁ http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/PamMack/lec122/radio.htm ⦁ http://crank-radio-review.toptenreviews.com/ ⦁ http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Operations/Traffic/FAQs/Pages/HAR.aspx ⦁ http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/177002 ⦁ http://www.noaa.gov/wx.html