Radio broadcasting is the ability to send audio from place to place by using radio waves instead of wires. It was the popularity of another form of communication that helped lead to the discovery of radio waves and the ability to broadcast radio. Radio broadcasting began to take form in the 1800s.
Believing in Radio Waves
In the mid 1800s James Maxwell was the first to hypothesize (the theory of electromagnetism) about radio waves and their possible uses. In the late 1800s Heinrich Rudolph Hertz was the first to show that electric currents could be sent into space using radio waves.
Other Inspirations
The use and popularity of both the telegraph and the telephone began in the early 1800s. In 1837, American Samuel F. B. Morse and Britain scientists Sir Charles Wheatstone and Sir William Fothergill Cooke patented the first telegraphs. These devices left many wanting ways to communicate without wires.
The First Wireless Broadcast
In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi sent the first wireless radio wave transmission. Marconi's transmission, which spanned more than 2 miles, helped him win a Nobel Peace Prize in 1909.
Public Use
The first radio broadcasts were used exclusively by the military. In 1914, Edwin Howard Armstrong invented a regenerative circuit. The regenerative circuit helped amplify signals to be used by the public.
The Real Inventor?
In addition to Marconi, many other inventors laid claims to wireless radio technology. In 1943 the United States Supreme Court ruled that Nikola Tesla was to be credited with the patent for wireless radio technology instead of Marconi.
Tags: radio waves, wireless radio, radio technology, regenerative circuit, using radio, using radio waves