Brief History of Sound Recording
and Broadcasting Technology
- 1864
- James Maxwell's electromagnetic
wave theory becomes the basis for radiowave propogation.
- 1877
- First description of recording sound onto a cylinder or disc
described by Charles Cros in France and Thomas Alva Edison
in the United States.
- 1878
- Thomas Edison patents the recording
of sound onto discs and cylinders.
- 1887
- Heinrich Hertz transmits and
receives radio waves over short distances.
- 1888
- Emile Berliner shows first example
of a working "phonograph"playback device.
- 1888
- Basics of magnetic recording put forth by Oberlin
Smith.
- 1889
- Danish inventor Valdemar Poulsen patents
the first magtnetic recorder.
- 1895
- Development of first wireless
telegraph system by Guglielmo Marconi.
- 1905
- First electron tube developed by Sir
Ambrose Fleming.
- 1906
- First wireless communication of human speech.
- 1912
- Development of the 'Audion' vacuum tube
amplifier by Lee de Forest, leadingthe way towards the
electronic amplification of sound.
- 1919
- KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
is licensed as the very first radio "staion" to
broadcast to the public - announcements, prize fight
results and shipping traffic info along with a
violin solo on Christmas Eve 1919.
- 1920
- The first COMMERCIAL radio station - playing music interspersed
with time announcements, weather information, sports, news, and paid
commercial announcements for local sponsors (in other words what we now
call modern radio) signed on the airwaves as XGA, in Montreal, Canada
early in 1920. That station, still on 600 KHz AM in Montreal is
call-signed CFCF. Currently privately owned, the station was once owned
by Guglielmo Marconi (yes, the inventor of wireless).
- 1925
- First electronic recordings made
with the use of a microphone released tothe public.
- 1931
- First stereo recordings made by
Bell Telephone Laboratories, fore xperimental use.
- 1933
- Theory of frequency modulation
(FM) for radio broadcasts developed by Edwin Armstrong.
- 1935
- Development of the tweeter and
woofer in loudspeaker technology to reduce loudspeaker
distortions.
- 1936
- The first true magnetic tape recorder,
the Magnetophone, is issued.
- 1939
- 'AC Bias' added to tape recordings
to improve sound quality.
- 1948
- Introduction of Long Play (LP)
record by CBS.
- 1948
- First transistor introduced.
- 1949
- RCA makes the 45 rpm, 7 inch disc available.
- 1949
- Developmental work on the acoustic suspension loudspeaker
done by Harry Olsen.
- 1954
- Introduction of stereo tapes to the
public.
- 1954
- Edgar Villchur and Henry Kloss begin to
popularize the acoustic suspensionloudspeaker.
- 1958
- First stereo LP records released.
- 1962
- First stereo FM radio broadcasts.
- 1964
- Philips makes public the compact cassette.
- 1975 - 1978
- Early digital recording made.
- 1980
- Sony introduces the "Walkman".
- 1983
- First CD player made available through
technology developed by Sony and Philips.
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