Wireless and Radio

Abstract

Telegraphy and Telephony brought about phenomenal changes in the way people were able to communicate with each other, send and receive messages. Yet clearly, there were shortcomings and drawbacks especially as communications between two points required a physical connection between them of an electrically conducting wire or cable. It was thus impossible to communicate telegraphy or telephony signals to remote places or even semiurban communities where wired connections were not available. In particular, it was extremely difficult for ships at sea, after the Industrial Revolution, ever increasing in numbers and traveling large distances, to communicate from ship to shore as well as ship-to-ship when they were not in visual range. The old semaphore and Aldis lamp systems were simply quite inadequate. A major technological breakthrough was now needed!

The wireless telegraph is not difficult to understand. The ordinary telegraph is like a very long cat. You pull the tail in New York and it meows in Los Angeles. The wireless is the same, only without the cat.

—Albert Einstein

It’s not true I had nothing on! I had the radio on!

—Marilyn Monroe

There was a time that the only thing you got from Japan was a really bad, cheap transistor radio that some Aunt gave you for Christmas.

—Cher