It’s quite possible that the stealth antenna had its genesis a hundred years ago today, as seen from this banner headline in the November 20, 1923, issue of the Washington Times.

According to the newspapers, Washington D.C. radio fans with an outside antenna would need to get a permit from the district engineer office.  That permit would need the approval of the District electrical engineer, would require an in-person inspection, and, not unimportantly, a fee of $2 (the equivalent of $36 in 2023 dollars).  Since this was the first anyone had heard of such a requirement, the newspaper pointed out that a multitude of radio fans were outlaws.

The order had come down from superintendent of police Daniel Sullivan, who informed the force of the requirement.  In no event were the wires to cross any public space.  The law had actually been in effect for many years, but the city electrical engineer had only recently brought it to the attention of the police department.

One motivation for the new law was the death of a park police officer while putting up an antenna, presumably on his own time and on his own property.  The tragedy apparently prompted the police to begin enforcing the requirement.