Seventy years ago this month, the August 1955 issue of Popular Electronics didn’t contain any articles specifically related to this cover illustration. But the painting was just to good not to use. All we know for sure that the painter was Ed Valigursky. The gentleman with the radio was probably a ham, and probably using six meters. He undoubtedly saved the town by directing the other gentleman to add a few more sandbags at this critical spot.
If you were a radio dealer 85 years ago, you wanted to be the one on the left, and not the one on the right. But it wasn’t quite that simple, as discussed in the August 1940 issue of Service magazine.
There was a wide variety of non-standard batteries for radios, and if a dealer stocked them all, there would be the problem of selling stale ones when the customer for one of the rare ones came in. So first of all, when selling new portables, you would keep your customers satisfied in the long run by selling only sets using standard batteries. In some cases, it was an underhanded trick by the manufacturer–they would design the set so that only their proprietary batteries would fit (not unlike printer manufacturers today, who make their profits from selling ink cartridges, a practice which can be beat by taking the advice on our website).
Customers were often reluctant to have you permanently change the wiring of their set to add a plug that would fit standard batteries. A good solution was often to sell them an adapter. Some were available off the shelf. In other cases, you could make an adapter by removing the socket from the old battery and connecting it to a standard plug.
Seventy-five years ago, many would-be hams were applying themselves to learning the code, and the July 1950 issue of Radio-Electronics obliged them by providing the plans for this simple code practice oscillator. The circuit is simplicity itself, and is built in to a jam tin, complete with speaker. The 6-volt tube ran fine on 4.5 volts from three flashlight cells, and the circuit required no additional B+ voltage.
It featured adjustable pitch, and put out a clear tone through either loudspeaker or headphones.
Here’s a snapshot of U.S. public opinion after Europe had been at war for almost a year, from the July 29, 1940, issue of Life Magazine. (You can view a larger image by clicking the image above.)
56% of the American population thought that German and Italy were going to win the war, and two thirds believed that the United States would be in danger if that happened. Over 70% believed that the U.S. should immediately begin compulsory military training for all young men.
If Germany and Italy were to win the war, then an overwhelming 88% of the public believed that the U.S. should arm to the teeth at any expense.
American supported the Monroe Doctrine, and was asked whether the U.S. should defend the hemisphere against foreign invasion. 80% believed that Canada should be defended, and almost 75% believed that Mexico and Central America should be defended. Two-thirds believed that South America and the West Indies should be defended, and 58% believed the same with respect to Greenland.
If America were ever to get into a predicament such as Belgium, Norway, or Finland and was apparently being beaten, a majority believed that America should continue to fight at all costs, with only a third advocating surrender to prevent further bloodshed and destruction.
Overall, 43% of Americans were optimistic as to the future of civilization, with 35% pessimistic, and 20% not knowing.
One hundred years ago, it was the rare breed who did not have a radio set. And that was true on both sides of the Atlantic, as demonstrated by this cartoon in the July 1925 issue of Wireless Constructor.
Under pressure, this man had to admit that he didn’t own a wireless set. As the caption notes, we also wonder what he lived for.
Shown here is the status of U.S. network television 50 years ago. The map shows the coaxial connections of the Bell System, which brought live network television to the nation. The solid lines show existing connections, and the dotted lines show those planned for 1950. New connections would extend to the southeast, and from Chicago to Des Moines and Minneapolis.
The caption at the bottom notes that as of 1948, there were two networks, in the east and the midwest. They were joined with a link from Philadelphia to Cleveland, which also added Pittsburgh.
The map appeared in the July 1950 issue of Radio News.
Mr. Zip.
Today marks the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service. On July 26, 1775, the United States Post Office was formed by the Second Continental Congress, and Benjamin Franklin was named Postmaster General. Franklin’s postal career actually dated to 1737, when he was named Postmaster of Philadelphia under the British.
Here’s what was on the radio 80 years ago, from the radio listing in the July 25, 1945, issue of the Washington Evening Times. You can click on the image above for a larger version.
In his column in the July 1945 issue of Boys’ Life, William “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt offers this illustration of some rustic features and camp gadgets that a scout could use to make himself comfortable in camp. The illustration originally appeared in the Swedish Scout magazine Scouten.
Eighty years ago, there was still a war going on, but people were itching for things to get back to normal. For example, civilian radios were still out of production, but this dealer guessed (correctly, it turns out) that there would be new ones rolling off the assembly line come fall. The picture appears on the cover of the July 1945 issue of Radio Service Dealer, and that issue gives no clues as to exactly where the sign is located.
But with a little bit of detective work, we found the location, and we also determined that the picture shown above was Photoshopped! The sign above reads “This Fall! New Radios.” The magazine doesn’t say where the sign is located. The magazine states only “dealer looks forward.”
But the identical photo appeared in the December 1943 issue of the magazine. Well, we should say that it was almost identical. Because the sign really said, “Wanted-Used Radios.” I bet they still wanted them in 1945, but a graphic artist (if not the dealer) guessed that the end of the shortage was in sight.
The 1943 issue reveals that the shop was Kimbark Electric Appliance Co., 1309 E. 53rd St., Chicago. The owner was Harold E. Wollenhaupt, who died in 1989.