National Radio Day takes place on 20th August every year and is intended as a celebration of a wonderful invention and method of communication. The invention of the radio can be traced back more than a century to the late 1800s, with a number of inventors having their parts to play in the creation of this very important medium. There were a whole range of discoveries and inventions that needed to be made in order to make radio a reality, including both reception and transmission methods and technology. The radio was something of an evolution from both the telephone and the telegraph, with wireless telegraph being a direct contributor to its invention.
It is very easy to help to celebrate National Radio Day – just turn on your favorite radio station and listen. You might also want to give a little recognition to your local radio personalities.
The origin of National Radio Day is not entirely clear, although there is some evidence from the websites and blogs of local radio stations that indicate that it is a holiday that was established just relatively recently during the 1990s. It seems that the radio station personnel from a range of different radio stations began discussing the possibility of creating their own holiday, after which the day became a reality, although precisely who ultimately created it remains something of a mystery to this day.
National Radio Day remains an unofficial holiday, with no formal congressional or presidential recognition.
Jon Huser
