1895
Signals without a wire
Marconi experimented with wireless signals in 1895. Explore the step from laboratory work to communication over distance; wireless telegraphy and spoken broadcasting are different stages of this story.
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1909 / Bringing the world home
Who invented the radio receiver?
There is no single inventor behind every part of a radio. Wave theory, experiments, detectors, tuning and amplification developed through different contributions. Marconi and Braun shared the 1909 Nobel Prize for work on wireless telegraphy. A telegraph signal is not yet a spoken radio programme, and a receiver is not the same object as a transmitter.
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1920–1925
Listening through a crystal
This Science Museum Group record describes a crystal receiver made in Manchester around 1920–1925. A small object opens a question: how much skill did early listening require?
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1922
2LO: a voice from London
The Science Museum dates the first BBC broadcast from 2LO to 14 November 1922. A transmitter helps us connect technical equipment with the growth of regular programmes.
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From radio history to radio today
World Radio Now helps you listen to live stations around the world. Explore a historical voice, then discover music, news and culture on today’s airwaves.