Before television there was radio. And it was so important to people, families would sit around the radio at night and listen to programs the same way they watch the TV today. You can still hear some of those great, original shows with legendary radio performers (many of whom went on to TV). Plus, if you are interested in antique radios themselves, this is a good place to start.

Radio was not only the way to receive news about what was going on around the world, but in time, became the major source of entertainment for families. Radio had something for everyone. Music for the ones who just wanted to relax and listen to big bands with leaders such as Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington or Guy Lombardo. There were soap operas for the ladies, “The Guiding Light” and “One Man’s Family,” to name a couple. For those people who really liked to use their imagination, there were exciting shows like, “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” “The Shadow,” and the “Lone Ranger.” As people have their favorite T.V. shows today, between the years of 1925 until the early 1950's, people had their favorite radio shows. These years in the United States were called the Golden Age of Broadcasting.'

Radio was just the beginning of a network of world-wide communication. When television became popular in the 1950's, many people thought that it would be the end of radio. People turned to television for soap operas and musical shows. However, radio still survives in all types and sizes. There are personal radios with earphones made for the listening enjoyment of only one person, shower radios to be listened to while getting ready to go out and radios made to look like cartoon characters. There are electric radios, car radios and battery radios for when the power goes out. Not only was the radio the greatest invention in the 20th century, it is still needed and used by millions of people today.