Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi pursues the idea of building a wireless telegraph system based on radio waves (Hertzian waves).
Guglielmo Marconi registers a patent on his invention and spends the next few years creating a commercial communications system.
The sinking of the Titanic prompts the United States to pass the Radio Act of 1912, which dictates all radio operators must be licensed and restricts amateurs to shortwave broadcasts.
World War I (or the First World War, often abbreviated as WWI) originated in Europe and lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. Also known as the Great War, it was one of the largest wars in history and is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history. WWI was a significant turning point in the political, cultural, economic, and social climate of the world; the war and its immediate aftermath sparked numerous revolutions and uprisings.
Russian revolution takes place, ending in the capitulation of the Russian White Army in 1923. The Communists forces take power and establish the USSR.
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is formed. RCA will become the industry leader as radio spreads across America in the 1920s. Hundreds of stations are opened across the United States; by 1930 over 60% of American households own a radio.
American women are granted the right to vote.This follows a nationwide organizing campaign by women that began in the 1800s and was fiercely contested by men, many of whom believed that women were “too emotional,” to use one popular excuse, to be trusted with the right to vote.
The British Broadcasting System (BBC) becomes the worlds’ first national broadcaster. The BBC will play a critical role in journalism and news gathering throughout the world over the next one hundred years. The network’s standard of professionalism and objectivity will be emulated by countless radio, print and TV broadcasters and reporters.
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party (PNF). The March on Rome in October, 1922 led to his ascent to power. He became the prime minister and three years later made himself dictator, “Il Duce” of Italy. His twenty-year-long dictatorship inspired many other totalitarian rulers including Adolf Hitler and Francisco Franco. Mussolini is executed in 1945 during the Italian Civil War.
