How did people in the 1950s enjoy listening to music without going to a concert? A single invention changed everybody’s lives of how they jam out to music, that invention was the transistor radio. The transistor radio was a small portable radio receiver, allowing it to be taken anywhere, as it was small and easy to carry. The transistor radio was especially popular with teens because teens love to listen to music (Take a trip Through The 1950s). Nowadays we have the iPod, which is basically the transistor radio of today. To start the transistor radio was made in 1954, after WWII, Kelly put together a team of scientists to develop a solid state semiconductor switch to replace the problematic vacuum tube (PBS). The transistor radio was invented by William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter H. Britain (Take a Field Trip Through The 1950s). Before the transistor radio, electronic devices had to use vacuum tubes. The transistor used less power and generated less heat, so electronic devices could be made smaller . The vacuum tube was big and broke easily and was either made out of glass or metal tubes with air sucked out of …show more content…
Knowing that teens loved music, they also liked to share their music with their friends. During this time transistor radios were also used for audio books, making it popular to many readers. This allowed people to listen to a book while reading the book at the same time. Although Transistor radios were portable they were also used in homes for music or news while doing chores, eating dinner, doing homework, or working out. Because the transistor radio was portable it was used by many walkers that liked to listen to music while they walk from one place to another without an issue. This was of course very popular for drivers because at this time there was no radio that was installed into the car, the transistor radio allowed drivers to listen to music while they drive (Electronic
Radio waves were first discovered in 1887, but radio itself was initially invented by Italian Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 (1). His biggest mentioned success was in 1901, when he managed to broadcast the letter “S” across the Atlantic Ocean (1). However, he focused primarily on point-to-point transmissions, not large scale broadcasts from one point (F). As such, three American inventors - Lee De Forest, Edwin Howard Armstrong, and David Sarnoff - took credit for making radio as it is today a success (F). De Forest was born and raised in Alabama and he thought of everything in terms of patents and eventually held more than 300, but many claimed that he simply stole the inventions of others (2). In 1900, he patented a device to enhance weak signals and in 1902, he formed the De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company (1). In the same year. Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian, invented the “electrolytic detector”, which later became the spade detector that brought De Forest so much fame (F). In 1904, John Fleming invented the oscillation valve, which later became De Forest’s audion, and De Forest won the gold medal at the St. Louis World’s Fair for his “spade detector” (F). De Forest gained quite a bit of fame by broadcasting music live from the Eiffel Tower and from the Metropolitan Opera; however, many believed that this was a scam and that he had actually had the device broadcasting the signal only a few blocks away (F). In 1906, he envisioned bringing music and voices to all American households, but as it turns out Canadian inventor Fessenden had already broadcasted a Christmas greeting and music to the crew of a ship off the coast of Canada on Christmas Eve a year earlier (F). In 1912, Armstrong became prominent by inventing regeneration, wh...
Technology in the 1950s started with many great innovations that shape the way we live now. Probably the most important innovation of television was the introduction of cable T.V., television broadcasting, sitcoms and talk shows. Television went though many changes in its younger years. The way T.V. Developed in the early years is the foundation for what we watched now days. Transitory radios became very popular in the fact that Music could be heard in any location because it was now portable. Still T.V. Innovations were what the 1950s were all about from a technology and the birth of the T.V. show.
Although Thomson set up the first electric system, it was Edison who invented the phonograph in eighteen seventy-seven. Editors at Scientific American, who were some of the first to experience Edison's newest creation, were startled. "The machine began by politely inquiring as to our health, asked how we liked the phonograph, informed us that it was very well, and bid us a cordial good night." (RCA Online 2)
Although its initial peak of success occurred in 1956, rock and roll had been developing since 1951. The introduction of the 45 rpm disc, transistor radio, and television; and finally, its lively, upbeat sound all contributed to the success of rock and roll(Peterson, 102- 104). The “baby boomer” generation after the Second World War, was a major influence on the success of rock and roll. Unlike their parents, this g...
Has anyone ever wondered how radio communications changed society during the 1930’s? According to the research done by the Education Foundation, many people believe that the most important development in the radio at that time was entertainment; this is entirely false. In fact, radio communications not only made an impact in the way people received their news, but also brought together a nation that got out of a brutal depression. Together, the nations as one made radio communications the commanding form of media in the 1930’s. As stations and businesses were beginning to establish themselves, companies from across the nation were taking notice in the department of advertisement. This new realm ignited a spark for the nation’s new economy which later boomed and gave rise to an economically and socially powerful country.
In 1937, Canadian inventor Donald L. Hings created literally a big thing in size and value wise. He called it a two-way field radio but it is now known as the Walkie Talkie. The Walkie Talkie when first created was the size of a back pack and i...
The advent of record and radio improved conditions for early performers in various circumstances. It helped open up the world in astonishing new ways. Radio and recorded music made it possible for people to share creativity, knowledge, and their taste in music as they never had been able to before. Americans no longer needed to travel the hear music, there was no need to ride a horse, walk downtown, or take a train to hear a poor cowboy singing. By the 1920’s, Americans could relax in the comfort of their home and tune in a live radio broadcast or put on a record. They were even able to enjoy themselves by singing along with their favorite country acts and songs. Rural performers now had a chance to reach broader audiences, and advertise their upcoming shows for free. In conclusion, recordings and radios truly impacted the conditions for early performers. These inventions assisted in spreading their music more easily, so that all people could enjoy
...bert Palmer in Rock & Roll an unruly history “Of necessity, then, rock and roll’s original audience was in many respects a secret audience teenagers gathering after school, cruising in their cars, or lying awake under their bedclothes deep in the night, their ears pressed to tiny little transistor radios.”(95).
During World War II, the United States, as well as other nations, invested great amounts of money into scientific and technological research. This funding led to many technological advances that continued to be used and improved upon after the war and into the 1950s. New inventions helped make American lives easier both at home and at work, and created new sources of entertainment that stimulated a wealthy society. The new discoveries in science and technology greatly improved the daily lives of Americans in the 1950s and helped create an affluent society with comfort and prosperity as the norm.
The Rise and Fall of Radio Shack Radio Shack is a company that was created by two brothers named Theodore Deutschmann and Milton Deutschmann. When the Deutschmann brothers first stared the company, the name was not Radio Shack. The name we all know today as Radio Shack came around in 2000. In 1921, when first founded, the company was started so they could sell ham radios.
The role of the television in the late 1950’s and 1960’s played a significant role in American households. In fact, never before had a media captivated audiences since the inception of the radio. While the earliest televisions were black and white, households that could afford this luxury were mostly, white, middle class. Towards the mid 1950’s the first color television broadcast aired by CBS. Moreover, the television dramatically influenced the social, political, and economical landscape of American households in this era.
Herman Hollerith (1860 - 1929) founded IBM ( as the Tabulating Machine Company ) in 1896. The company renames known as IBM in 1924. In 1906 Lee D. Forest in America developed the electronic tube (an electronic value). Before this it would have been impossible to make digital electronic computers. In 1919 W. H. Eccles and F. W. Jordan published the first flip-flop circuit design.
Rock and Roll, as a music genre, has evolved greatly with each decade; some of this is attributed to technology. One of the biggest leaps forward made for technology and the music genre is the widespread commercial popularity of the television. Since its introduction, television has caused the growing genre to rapidly reach mainstream audiences. Though it is this day hard to pinpoint the full impact of this invention to Rock n’ Roll, it is hard to argue that it didn’t help shape it into the powerful industry that it is today. From the Rockabilly era, to the British Invasion, all the way to the formation of MTV; television has attributed to these eras and changes seen in this genre. The importance of television is very high as it allowed stars to be made and stars to be pushed aside. Television has also allowed even the most remote people to know what the latest stars were doing. It can be said that Rock n’ Roll would not have gained its social acceptance without television to bring it into the lime light and causing it to rapidly reach the youths of the era.
Every invention ever known to man had pioneers or people who contributed to the creation of the product. Radio had many pioneers that allowed for its creation and their names are Heinrich Hertz, Nikola Tesla, Ernst Alexander, Edwin Armstrong, Guglielmo Marconi, Lee DeForest, Frank Conrad, Reginald Fessenden, and Edward Armstrong. It all started with a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz who in 1884 proved that you could transmit and receive electric waves wirelessly. Hertz thought that the work he had done had no use whatsoever but little did he know that what he done is considered the fundamental building block of radio, and that is the reason why every frequency measurement is named after him (Short). In that same year a Serbian-American inventor named Nikola Tesla came to the U.S and sold patents to his inventions to a man named George Westinghouse. After that Tesla established his own lab which is where he built the tesla coil , an induction coil that is still used in radio today (Short). The next progression of radio focused on more than just the transmission of waves, the new focus was transmission of speech. The first to begin to add speech into the radio mix was Ernst Alexander, a Sweden born inventor who developed the first alternator to make speech transmission possible (Short). This was so new to the s...
By the time the 20th century arrived, vacuum tubes were invented that could transmit weak electrical signals which led to the formation of electromagnetic waves that led to the invention of the radio broadcast system (750). These vacuum tubes were discovered to be able to transmit currents through solid material, which led to the creation of transistors in the 1960’s (750).