‘Speeches Must Be Short’: Radio and the Birth of the Modern Presidential Campaign
The origin of the soundbite can be traced to the 1924 U.S. presidential election, the first one ever covered heavily by a broadcast medium, radio.
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Time Machine
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The TVs Are Coming! Station ID Cards From 1951
In the early days of television, before homogenization set in, the identification graphics each station used broadcast a flash of regional personality for the viewer.
Time Machine: Build Your Own ‘Iron Man’
Robots had a mixed reputation in the early 1930s. They represented the promise of streamlined, modern living that…
Depression-Era Public Payphones On Wheels
Cover of the November 1938 issue of Radio-Craft magazine. On July 14, 1938, Howard Hughes and four companions…
A River Runs It
In these electronic gadget-saturated times it’s hard to imagine that a century ago, electricity was scarce, and expensive,…
Electric Glove Helps Police Quell Rioters
The taser has proved a popular modern way to subdue a suspect, but in 1930s New York the men in blue were a little more shockingly hands-on in their approach.
DIY Police Scanner of 1935
In simpler times the mere presence of a home-built police scanner was lauded as a home course in law enforcement. But has Twitter killed the police radio star?
The First Golden Age of Electric Car Advertising
In an age when horses might still be found on Madison Avenue, electric and gas-powered cars battled for supremacy on the ad pages of the elite publications of the day.
Bring on the Noise
BEFORE BEATS BY DR. DRE, before the iPod’s earbuds, before even the Sony Walkman’s headphones, there was Thaddeus…
How Rube Goldberg Would Have Watered the West
Who needs pipelines when massive hydro-cannons could blast water across California’s deserts?