On this day, Marconi’s solution to wireless transmissions was put to the test. From Cornwall (UK), the letter S in Morse Code was transmitted and clearly received in Newfoundland (Canada). The success paved the way for the UK’s naval forces to have a major advantage in communicating. New orders could be sent from London. Intelligence on enemy positions (sadly, these were becoming the German Empire) could be circulated more widely. Ships could get around conditions hindering semaphore (fog, darkness) or blinking lights using Morse Code (fog, distance, enemies seeing it). The UK’s ground forces utilized it too, especially in the 1905 Boer War, their navy was just the first and most vocal proponent of investing in Marconi’s inventions/developments. I’m guessing the US could’ve been involved too. In order to set up this test, two companies were established first. British Marconi and American Marconi were formed so the rights to transmit over the Atlantic weren’t questioned by either government or corporate rivals; I’m guessing Edison’s interests were the biggest concern. Today, you know these two companies as the BBC and RCA-NBC respectively.
I will have to do some deeper research to find out how long it took to get wireless communication, aka radio, to incorporate actual audio. For some reasons, early radio was just a wireless telegraph. It probably didn’t take too long since the telephone appeared after 1876; Alexander Graham Bell and company solved how to convert sound waves from our mouths into electricity which would transform back into vibrations resembling human voices. Today, we really hear pretty good facsimiles.
The awesome joys of radio via music, news, sports and other audio-based entertainments had to wait until WWI was over. There were radio stations before the Great War. Just not very many and home sets even fewer since we all know wars hold back technological wonders before setting them loose to grow at an exponential rate: TV, the Internet and commercial aircraft.
Now radio, both AM and FM, are mostly dying in popularity. If they’re not used to spew lies for Right-Wing bullshit talking points, they’re either NPR stations blathering about Tibetan basket-weaving techniques or playing oldies which resemble a middle-aged gay guy’s Spotify algorithm. There are bright spots such as formats listened to by underserved groups yet let’s face it. Anyone under 60 doesn’t bother and knows how to hook up their cell phone, MP3 player or computer to their car, home or work system. Who needs terrestrial or satellite radio? Too many ads. Every city sounds the same now (thanks Lee Abrams). Why pay what XM/Sirius charges? Streaming’s free option is a better start.
If Grampa’ Brunch wants to be the second-coming of FDR or LBJ (so far he’s the umpteenth coming of Buchanan), he’d push Congress to take away the tax dodge the radio conglomerates receive for their money-losing zombie stations still playing Led Zeppelin to death and have the AM/FM frequencies re-allocated for something we need. Namely, free Wi-Fi across the country. The FCC did make it clear and with SCOTUS’ blessing to declare the airwaves belong to the people. And it all got rolling 120 years ago.