Way before mobile phones, AT&T and Bell Telephone launched wireless telephone service (1919)

Generations before mobile phones were a thing, ATT 1919

Note: This article may feature affiliate links, and purchases made may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Find out more here.

Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Email
LinkedIn
Pocket
Reddit

Wireless telephone: Pioneering wireless speech

On the morning of October 22, 1915, an engineer speaking at Arlington, Virginia, was heard at Eiffel Tower, Paris and at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands.

This was the first trans-Atlantic and trans-continental message ever sent by wireless telephone. It was an achievement of the Bell System.

During the Fifth Liberty Loan [during WWI], nearly a million people, in throngs of ten thousand, heard speeches and music by wire and wireless.

The loud-speaking was a main feature of Victory Way, New York. Wireless came from aviators flying overhead and long-distance speeches from government officials in Washington. Messages were often magnified several billion times.

This demonstration was the first of its kind in the history of the world. It also was an achievement of the Bell System.

Historic were also the war-time uses of wireless telephony, giving communication between airplanes and from mother ships to submarine chasers.

MORE: 100 years ago, did Nikola Tesla predict the iPad, Skype, mobile phones & more? (1915)

All these accomplishments and uses were made possible by the work of the research laboratories of the Bell system.

American Telephone and Telegraph Company and associated companies

Wireless telephone service in 1919 - crowd listening

MORE: The history of the telephone, with 50 examples of old phones, including early rotary-dial models

PS: If you liked this article, please share it! You can also get our free newsletter, follow us on Facebook & Pinterest. Thanks for visiting and for supporting a small business! 🤩 

Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

You might also like...

The fun never ends:

Comments on this story

Leave a comment here!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.