when did the radio became a household item
Radio in the United States Until early 1922, there were fewer than forty commercial stations broadcasting. [10] But in mid-1922, the so-called "radio craze" began, when several hundred new stations took to the airwaves, and thousands of people wanted to buy their own radio set. Even President Warren G. Harding had a radio installed in the White House. [11]
Shortwave radio Shortwave communications began to grow rapidly in the 1920s,[10] similar to the internet in the late 20th century. By 1928, more than half of long distance communications had moved from transoceanic cables and longwave wireless services to shortwave and the overall volume of transoceanic shortwave communications had vastly increased. Shortwave stations had cost and efficiency advantages over massive longwave wireless installations,[11] however some commercial longwave communications stations remained in use until the 1960s. Long distance radio circuits also reduced the load on the existing transoceanic telegraph cables and hence the need for new cables, although the cables maintained their advantages of high security and a much more reliable and better quality signal than shortwave.