| Year | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Transition | Transition from Deforestation & Land Clearing (cities, etc...) to Microwaved Earth |
This stage started in early 1900s on a more localized level to regional and beyond as more RF was put in our atmosphere.
[Text to be added] |
| 1895 | Guglielmo Marconi - First Radio Experiments | Marconi successfully demonstrates wireless telegraphy at his family estate in Pontecchio, Italy. These experiments mark the birth of practical radio communications and the beginning of intentional RF emissions into Earth's atmosphere. |
| 1901 | First Transatlantic Radio Transmission |
Marconi transmits the first wireless signal across the Atlantic Ocean from Poldhu, Cornwall to Signal Hill, Newfoundland. This achievement demonstrates the potential for global RF communications and marks the beginning of long-distance electromagnetic propagation.
National Park Service: Marconi Beach - Cape Cod National Seashore Chatham Marconi Maritime Center National Park Service: Marconi Station History Wikipedia: Marconi Wireless Station Site (South Wellfleet, Massachusetts) |
| 1902 | Wellfleet, MA (Cape Cod) - Testing |
This initial testing lines up very well with a mass beaching of blackfish whales. This is likely due to localized magnetic field disruption from the radio transmission site. This should not be confused with this 1884 photo........
Turtle Journal: Mass Blackfish Stranding at Wellfleet [Additional text, photo, and Grok screenshots to be added] |
| 1907-1912 | Ship to Shore Wireless Telegraphy | Maritime wireless telegraphy becomes standard equipment on ocean-going vessels. By 1912, most passenger ships are equipped with radio facilities operating in the medium and long wave bands. The sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912 demonstrates both the life-saving potential and limitations of wireless communications at sea. The Titanic's distress calls, transmitted at 500 kHz, are received by multiple ships and coastal stations, leading to the rescue of 705 survivors. This tragedy accelerates the adoption of mandatory wireless equipment on all passenger vessels and establishes 24-hour radio watch requirements. |
| 1910s | Land-Based Wireless Telegraphy Expansion | Wireless telegraphy stations proliferate across continents for point-to-point communications. Military and commercial stations operating primarily in long wave and medium wave frequencies (10 kHz - 3 MHz) establish global communications networks. High-power transmitters, often using massive antenna arrays, create the first significant continental-scale RF infrastructure. These installations typically operate with kilowatts of transmitter power, establishing persistent electromagnetic fields across wide geographic areas. |
| 1920 | Commercial Radio Broadcasting Begins |
KDKA in Pittsburgh begins regular commercial radio broadcasting on November 2, 1920, marking the start of mass-market RF exposure. Within a few years, radio stations proliferate across the United States and Europe, creating the first widespread ambient RF environment.
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| 1930s | AM Radio Network Expansion | The 1930s see explosive growth in AM radio broadcasting infrastructure. High-power transmitters operating in the medium frequency range (540-1600 kHz) blanket populated regions with continuous RF signals. By the end of the decade, radio ownership reaches over 80% of American households. |
| 1937 | Death of Guglielmo Marconi |
Guglielmo Marconi died at the relatively young age of 63. He had multiple heart attacks and a myocardial infarction.
Read Invisible Rainbow to understand the wireless telegraphy / radio wave / electronic radiation connection more.
[Video titles to be added]
For a boy who survives infancy / childhood, a life expectancy during this period for a wealthy individual such as Marconi would be around 60 to 72 years. Thus Marconi died at the lower end of the spectrum, and suffered from heart attacks years earlier. His first myocardial infarction occurred in 1927, ten years before his death, followed by unmistakable angina pectoris. He suffered nine heart attacks in the span of three years preceding his death in 1937. SUNY Upstate Medical University: How heart disease killed Marconi |
| 1930-1936 | Dust Bowl - United States |
Severe drought and dust storms devastate the Great Plains region of the United States, particularly affecting the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, and northeastern New Mexico. The Dust Bowl coincides with massive AM radio infrastructure buildout across the United States during the 1930s. While conventional explanations focus on poor farming practices and drought, the unprecedented scale of atmospheric dust storms (reaching the East Coast) occurs during the same period as exponential growth in high-power AM radio broadcasting stations blanketing the region with continuous RF emissions.
Peak drought year was 1934, when 95% of the Great Plains experienced severe to extreme drought. Between 1930 and 1940, approximately 3.5 million people migrated out of the Plains states. The drought ended in fall 1939 when regular rainfall returned to the region. [Additional content to be added] |
| 1937-1945 | World War II Drought - Australia |
Extended drought across Australia from 1937 to 1945, affecting New South Wales, Victoria, much of Queensland, and parts of Western Australia. Conditions deteriorated in 1937 with isolated parts of New South Wales experiencing record-low rainfall. Despite 1938 being a La Niña year, conditions worsened substantially, with drought intensifying and spreading to eastern South Australia and grain-growing areas of southwest Australia.
The extremely dry conditions led to the disastrous Black Friday bushfires in Victoria in January 1939. The drought continued with intermittent breaks through 1945, coinciding with the rapid expansion of radio broadcasting infrastructure in Australia and the development of military radar systems during World War II. Wikipedia: World War II Drought in Australia [Additional content to be added] |
| 1939 | Television Broadcasting Debuts | Commercial television broadcasting begins with NBC's coverage of the 1939 World's Fair. Though adoption is initially slow, television represents a significant increase in RF frequency utilization (VHF band: 54-216 MHz) and marks the beginning of video signal transmission. |
| 1940-1945 | Secret of Tuxedo Park - WW2 Radar Development |
During World War II, physicist Alfred Lee Loomis transforms his Tuxedo Park estate into a secret laboratory for radar development. This facility becomes a crucial center for microwave radar research, leading to technologies that would revolutionize both military applications and post-war civilian telecommunications infrastructure. The high-powered microwave systems developed here operate in previously unexplored frequency ranges.
PBS American Experience: The Secret of Tuxedo Park |
| 1945 | FM Radio Development | Following World War II, FM radio broadcasting expands significantly. Operating at higher frequencies (88-108 MHz) than AM radio, FM stations add another layer to the ambient RF environment and introduce frequency modulation techniques that would become standard. |
| 1946 | First Mobile Phone Call |
AT&T conducts the first mobile phone call using a car-based radio telephone system, marking the beginning of mobile telecommunications technology.
The Conversation: The first mobile phone call was 75 years ago 1946 + 80 years = 2026
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| 1947 | AT&T Seven Hilltops - Microwave Network |
AT&T constructs an experimental microwave relay system connecting New York City to Boston using seven hilltop installations. This system operates in the 4 GHz range and represents one of the first practical implementations of point-to-point microwave communications infrastructure. The network demonstrates the feasibility of using microwave frequencies for long-distance telecommunications, paving the way for continental systems.
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| 1950 | Color Television Standards Adopted | The FCC approves the CBS color television system (later replaced by the NTSC standard in 1953). Color television increases the complexity and bandwidth requirements of broadcast signals, further densifying the RF spectrum utilization in urban areas. |
| 1951 | AT&T Long Lines (Skyway) - First Coast-to-Coast Microwave System |
AT&T completes the world's first transcontinental microwave relay system, known as the TD-2 or "Skyway" network. Constructed over three years, this revolutionary infrastructure consists of 107 relay towers spanning from New York to San Francisco. Operating at approximately 4 GHz, the system establishes continuous microwave beam paths across the entire continental United States.
107 relay towers constructed over 3 years (1948-1951)
Operating frequency: 3.7-4.2 GHz (TD-2 system) Coverage: New York to San Francisco First coast-to-coast microwave relay system in the world Tower spacing: approximately 25-30 miles Capacity: Initially 2,400 telephone circuits or multiple TV channels |
| 1954 | UHF Television Allocation | The FCC allocates UHF channels (470-890 MHz) for television broadcasting, dramatically expanding the RF spectrum dedicated to broadcast services. This allocation creates additional continuous RF exposure across urban and suburban areas at higher frequencies. |