Communications

Birth of Samuel Morse
Samuel Finley Breese Morse was born on April 27, 1791, in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Morse is credited with inventing the telegraph and the communication system used for the device, which bears his name: Morse code.

American Radio Relay League Saves Lives
On March 28, 1964, amateur radio operators provided essential emergency communications in the wake of a devastating earthquake in Alaska.

Alexander Graham Bell Patents Telephone
On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received the patent for the telephone. Three days later, Bell transmitted the first recognizable words over a telephone line.

First Native American Newspaper
On February 21, 1828, the first Native American newspaper, utilizing Sequoyah’s Cherokee Syllabary, was printed. The paper presented official laws and documents of the Cherokee nation as well as local and national news.

World Radio Day
World Radio Day was established in 2011 to commemorate the creation of United Nations Radio on February 13, 1946. The UN created its radio service believing it was important for the people of the world to be “fully informed of its aims and activities.”

First Official Transatlantic Phone Call
On January 7, 1927, men in New York and London staged the first official telephone call across the Atlantic Ocean. Using radio waves, it made instant communication across the ocean a reality, paving the way for our modern communication systems.

Rise of Long-Distance Telephones
On March 27, 1884, the first long-distance phone call between New York and Boston was made.