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Listen&Learn: History of Radio

19th October 2022 by Jaksyn Peacock

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • electromagnetic radiation: waves of energy that travel over distances
  • transmit: to move something from one place to another
  • telegraph: a device that communicates coded messages
  • broadcast: a public radio transmission
  • instantly: without any time passing

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

In the 1880s, a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz radio waves, a type of invisible electromagnetic radiation. Hertz proved that the waves could travel through the air, just like light, and transmit information. Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi created the first that used radio transmissions in the 1890s. It was a telegraph that could transmit Morse code without wires. In the years before World War I, inventors developed radio devices that could communicate more complex , including spoken words and music. Radios were originally used for military communication. However, many people began to buy radios for use during the 1920s, when radio companies built for news and entertainment broadcasts. This allowed people to receive information about politics, the world, and important events almost instantly.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

  1. The person who discovered radio waves was
    a. Heinrich Hertz
    b. Guglielmo Marconi
    c. Thomas Edison
  2. Marconi’s radio device was
    a. a wireless telegraph
    b. a music player
    c. an early television
  3. Radios were originally used for
    a. news broadcasts
    b. entertainment
    c. military communication

Discussion/essay questions

  1. Today, it is easier than ever to receive instant information due to the Internet and social media. What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of this?

Transcript

In the 1880s, a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves, a type of invisible electromagnetic radiation. Hertz proved that the waves could travel through the air, just like light, and transmit information. Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi created the first device that used radio transmissions in the 1890s. It was a telegraph that could transmit Morse code without wires. In the years before World War I, inventors developed radio devices that could communicate more complex messages, including spoken words and music. Radios were originally used for military communication. However, many people began to buy radios for personal use during the 1920s, when radio companies built stations for news and entertainment broadcasts. This allowed people to receive information about politics, the world, and important events almost instantly.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2a 3c

Listen&Learn: The History of Morse Code

1st June 2022 by Jaksyn Peacock

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • telegraph: a machine that communicates a message by sending out pulses
  • frequently: often
  • transmit: to send something somewhere else
  • variation: a different version of something
  • obsolete: no longer useful
  • distress: danger

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

Morse code is an alphabet that uses combinations of dots and dashes to represent . American inventor Samuel Morse created the code in the 1830s as a way to communicate through an electric telegraph. He designed it so that letters used frequently in English would be easier to transmit. The letter ‘E’ was the , represented by one dot. As the telegraph became in many countries, a variation of Morse code with accented letters was created so that people who didn’t speak English could use it. Eventually, the invention of the telephone made the telegraph obsolete in everyday communication. However, continued to use Morse code in wartime through the 20th century. In fact, SOS became a universal distress signal because it was easy to transmit through Morse code.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

  1. The inventor of Morse code was
    a. British
    b. Canadian
    c. American
  2. The simplest letters in Morse code were
    a. letters near the beginning of the alphabet
    b. letters often found at the beginning of words
    c. letters used frequently in English
  3. Through the 20th century, Morse code was still used in
    a. everyday communication
    b. military operations
    c. business

Discussion/essay questions

  1. Why might it be useful to know a universal code? Do you think there are any modern uses for Morse code?

Transcript

Morse code is an alphabet that uses combinations of dots and dashes to represent letters. American inventor Samuel Morse created the code in the 1830s as a way to communicate through an electric telegraph. He designed it so that letters used frequently in English would be easier to transmit. The letter ‘E’ was the simplest, represented by one dot. As the telegraph became popular in many countries, a variation of Morse code with accented letters was created so that people who didn’t speak English could use it. Eventually, the invention of the telephone made the telegraph obsolete in everyday communication. However, militaries continued to use Morse code in wartime through the 20th century. In fact, SOS became a universal distress signal because it was easy to transmit through Morse code.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2c 3b