The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1649: Fessenden and Radio Sound
Oct 31, 2026 · 4 min · 8 segments
Episode: 1649 Reginald Fessenden endows radio with sound. Today, we add *sound* to radio.
Oct 31, 2026 · 4 min · 8 segments
Episode: 1649 Reginald Fessenden endows radio with sound. Today, we add *sound* to radio.
The idea that at some point we had to add sound to radio may sound strange indeed, but we did.
In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi sent one across the Atlantic, but neither signal transmitted sound.
Indeed, we were soon calling this new medium wireless telegraphy, because we could send only telegraphic dots and dashes.
Writer William Zwill tells how the little-known inventor Reginald Fessenden solved the problem of sending sound.
The idea that at some point we had to add sound to radio may sound strange indeed, but we did.
In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi sent one across the Atlantic, but neither signal transmitted sound.
Indeed, we were soon calling this new medium wireless telegraphy, because we could send only telegraphic dots and dashes.
Writer William Zwill tells how the little-known inventor Reginald Fessenden solved the problem of sending sound.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
