On January 13

On this day in ...

... 1910, an American inventor produced the 1st public radio broadcast. Covered was a double bill performance from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City -- Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci. The "problems with interference, the lack of sensitivity of the microphones in the opera house, and the poor audio quality of the transmissions" are "said to have proved a nearly total failure." For the time being, at least; as the century progressed, radio would become a major medium for mass communication. (credit for photo of vacuum tube, invention that led to wireless radio)

(Prior January 13 posts are here, here, here, and here.)