Radio History: July 20

Loomis in 1865

➦In 1872...Mahlon Loomis was awarded a patent for wireless technology heralding the beginning of radio. Loomis was the first wireless telegrapher.

In the mid-1800s it had been well established that the Earth was surrounded by a significant electrical field, and Loomis felt passionately that this was an overlooked resource of vast potential, both for generating electrical power, and as a conduit that would support worldwide wireless communication.

Loomis was also a dentist, the inventor of artificial teeth (patent #10,847 May 2, 1854), and the earliest inventor of wireless communication (patent #129,971).

He was born July 26, 1826 in Oppenheim, New York and died, October 13, 1886 in Terra Alta, West Virginia.

Verna Felton

➦In 1890...Character actor Verna Felton born in Salinas, CA  (Died from a stroke – December 14, 1966). She was best known for providing many voices in numerous Disney animated films, as well as voicing Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law Pearl Slaghoople in Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones (1962–1963).

She also had roles in live-action films; however, she was most active in radio programs. She was known for her husky voice and no-nonsense attitude. Two of her most famous roles were as Dennis Day's mother Mrs. Day on The Jack Benny Program (1939–1962) and as Hilda Crocker on the CBS sitcom December Bride (1952–1959).

Felton worked extensively in the 1930s and '50s in Hollywood radio, notably playing The Mom in The Cinnamon Bear, Junior the Mean Widdle Kid's grandmother on Red Skelton's radio series, Hattie Hirsch on Point Sublime, and Dennis Day's protective, domineering, and authoritative mother, Mrs Day, who was always looking out for him while trying to boss around Jack Benny on The Jack Benny Program. In addition, she performed on radio as a regular on The Abbott and Costello Show and The Great Gildersleeve.

➦In 1935…The crime drama G-Men debuted on NBC Radio. It was renamed Gang Busters in January 1936 and moved to CBS Radio. The series ran for 21 years.

➦In 1937…Guglielmo Marconi died in Rome on 20 July 1937 at age 63, following a series of heart attacks, and Italy held a state funeral for him.  As a tribute, all radio stations throughout the world observed two minutes of silence on the next day.

When Marconi made his famous first transatlantic radio transmission in 1901, rival inventor Nikola Tesla claimed that it was done with 17 Tesla patents. Thus began years of patent battles over radio with Tesla's patents being upheld in 1903, followed by a reverse decision in favor of Marconi in 1904.

In June 1943, the United States Supreme Court restored patent rights to Tesla, saying their decision had no bearing on Marconi's claim as the first to achieve radio transmission, just that because Marconi's claim to certain patents was questionable, he could not claim infringement on those same patents.

➦In 1940...Billboard publishes its 1st singles record chart (#1 is "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey)

Buzz Aldrin's bootprint, one of the first steps taken on the Moon

➦In 1969...Six hours after landing on the moon, Astronaut, Neil Armstrong, stepped on the surface of the Moon at 2:56:15 AM.  The world watched and listened made possible by the transmission of radio waves.

➦In 2007..ABC Wide World of Sports voice Bill Flemming, who covered 11 Olympic games and helped broadcast some 600 events, died from prostate cancer at age 80.

John Lodge is 80

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Bassist John Lodge of the Moody Blues is 80. 
• Country singer T.G. Sheppard is 79. 
• Singer Kim Carnes is 78. 
• Guitarist Carlos Santana is 76. 
• Guitarist Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister is 71. 
• Drummer Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols is 67. 
• Actor Donna Dixon (“Bosom Buddies”) is 66. 
• Keyboardist Mick McNeil of Simple Minds is 65. 
• Country singer Radney Foster is 64. 
• Actor Dean Winters (“30 Rock,” Mayhem in Allstate commercials) is 59. 
• Guitarist Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam is 57. 
• Actor Reed Diamond (“Judging Amy,” ″Homicide: Life on the Street”) is 56. 
• Actor Josh Holloway (“Lost”) is 54. 
• Singer Vitamin C is 54. 
• Actor Sandra Oh is 52. 
• Actor Omar Epps is 50. 
• Actor Simon Rex is 49. 
• Actor Judy Greer (“The Village,” ″Arrested Development”) is 48. 
• Actor Charlie Korsmo (“Can’t Hardly Wait,” ″Hook”) is 45. 
• Singer Elliott Yamin (“American Idol”) is 45. 
• Model Gisele Bundchen is 43. 
• Guitarist Mike Kennerty of All-American Rejects is 43. 
• Actor Percy Daggs III (“Veronica Mars”) is 41. 
• Actor John Francis Daley (“Bones,” ″Freaks and Geeks”) is 38. 
• Dancer-country singer Julianne Hough (“Dancing with the Stars”) is 35. 
• Actor Billi Bruno (“According to Jim”) is 27.

✞DEATH REMEMBRANCES

• In 1937..Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor and electrical engineer who pioneered work on long distance radio transmission (Nobel 1909), dies of a heart attack at 63
• In 1969..Roy Hamilton, Singer (You'll Never Walk Alone), dies at 40
• In 1973..Bruce Lee, Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor (Enter the Dragon), dies of a cerebral edema at 32
• In 1983..Frank Reynolds, News anchor (ABC Evening News, 1968-70; World New Tonight, 1977-83), dies at 59
• In 1984..Jim Fixx, American jogger and writer (Jim Fixx on Running), dies at 52
• In 2007..Tammy Faye Bakker (Messner), American Christian singer and former wife of Jim Bakker (The PTL Club), dies at 65