December 6 In Radio History

In 1877...Thomas Edison made his first recording of a human voice, reciting the nursery rhyme "Mary had a little lamb," on the first tinfoil cylinder phonograph.


In 1923...The White House was brought fully into the modern age of communication when Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) made the first presidential radio broadcast from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on this day in 1923. The next year, he made history again in by appearing in the first sound film of an American President.

In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) spoke on the telephone to the instrument’s inventor, Alexander Graham Bell. Two years later, Hayes had his own telephone in the White House, but the invention was so new that very few homes or offices in Washington had phones, so Hayes had few people to talk to. In fact, the president’s telephone number was "1".


In 1957...Elvis Presley met two of his music idols, R&B singers Little Junior Parker and Bobby "Blue" Bland, while visiting Memphis radio station WDIA.




In 1963...The Beatles began a tradition of releasing a spoken-word and musical message Christmas recording for fans. One such record was issued each year from 1963–1969 and a compilation of all seven in 1970.




In 1980...In an interview with BBC Radio 1, John Lennon said the great thing about living in New York City was that people left him alone.


In 1994...WRKS NYC changes format to classic soul


In 2003...Pat St. John first show at WAXQ