These notes are all that is needed to understand Chapter 2 in Only Connect: A Cultural History of Broadcasting in the United States. The chapter covers the era when radios were first in production and highlights how they were made for military personal before being released to the public.
● Telegraph and Telephone as Precursors:
○ The telegraph (1844) by Samuel Morse laid the groundwork for electronic
communication.
○ The telephone (1876) introduced voice transmission by Alexander Graham Bell.
● Wireless Telegraphy:
○ Guglielmo Marconi developed wireless telegraphy in the 1890s, which paved the way
for radio technology.
○ Early radio transmissions initially focused on point-to-point communication
(ship-to-shore, military uses).
○ Key Innovators:
■ Nikola Tesla and Reginald Fessenden advanced modulation techniques in
early radio technology.
■ Fessenden made the first voice transmission over the radio in 1906.
Development of Radio Technology
● Audion Tube:
○ Lee De Forest's Audion tube (1906) amplified weak radio signals, enabling
long-distance transmission and reception.
○ The Audion tube was a significant step towards the commercialization of radio.
● Early Uses of Radio:
○ Used primarily by the military and shipping industries for communication.
○ Amateur radio enthusiasts, known as 'hams,' also started experimenting with radio,
contributing to the emergence of an early radio hobbyist culture.
Government Regulation
● Radio Act of 1912:
○ After the Titanic disaster, the Radio Act of 1912 was passed, which required
licensing for radio operators and assigned frequencies.
○ The Act marked the start of U.S. government regulation of airwaves, but it was not yet
focused on broadcasting.
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