Happy Groundhog Day!
One hundred years ago, the Bismarck, ND, area experienced (not surprisingly, actually) six more weeks of winter, as predicted here by one Mr. A. Groundhog. This item appeared in the February 2, 1926, issue of the Bismarck Tribune.
Seventy years ago, remote control for your television was starting to become a thing, as demonstrated by this cartoon in the February 1956 issue of Radio Electronics.
Seventy-five years ago, if you wanted to upgrade your television, you could add FM reception, as detailed in the January 1951 issue of Popular Mechanics. As we’ve noted previously, it wasn’t unheard of to swap out the front end of the set and put in a rebuilt tuner. Thanks to Dumont, you could buy a tuner that included, nestled in between channels 6 and 7, the FM broadcast band. As an added bonus, you would probably get a better picture, since the tuner exhibited more gain, especially on the upper channels.
The article explained which models were candidates for the swap.
Shown here 100 years ago in the January 1926 issue of Talking Machine World is the storefront of Radio Hardware Co. 342 South State St., Salt Lake City. The magazine noted that this display evidenced neatness and simplicity, which were all that was necessary in many cases. The two window display was of Music Master radio receivers. Fifteen different items were shown artistically, with no crowding. The store noted that thousands viewed the display daily, and there had been a gratifying amount of sales resulting directly from it.
Seventy years ago, this aspiring musician was able to play the electric guitar thanks to the three-tube amplifier she constructed from plans in the January 1956 issue of Popular Electronics. In addition to use as a guitar amp as shown here, it could be used as a phonograph amplifier, or simply as a general-purpose amplifier in the lab.
It was built on an aluminum chassis made of soft aluminum that could be cut with ordinary household shears. A speaker baffle formed the cabinet.
If you were looking for a home entertainment system 75 years ago, you couldn’t go wrong with this 19 inch Muntz TV, AM-FM radio, and phonograph combination, for only $399.95, which could be paid over 15 months.
The ad appeared in the January 28, 1951, issue of the Washington Evening Star.
Eighty-five years ago, the January 27, 1941, issue of Life magazine showed these teen girls listening to records. The magazine noted that for these “subdebutantes”, swing was more important than vitamins. The magazine identifies only two of the girls shown, Edith Seyburn, at the phonograph, and her sister Isabel, standing at the right.
Seventy-five years ago, this New York physician was undoubtedly one of the first in the nation to carry a radio pager, described in the January 1951 issue of Popular Science. But it wasn’t quite as automatic as later models. It was simply a receiver for 43.58 MHz, and he had to remember to periodically turn it on and listen to a list of three-digit numbers. If his number was called, he would call his office to find out the emergency.
The number would be broadcast for an hour, and the list of numbers was recorded on 16 mm film. The service was provided by Telanserphone, Inc., and subscribers paid $12 per month. The service was said to have a service radius of 25 miles, and would work almost anywhere, other than the subway. The magazine gives the call sign of the transmitter, KEA627. Interestingly, according to the FCC record, that license was still active up through 2000 on the same frequency, most recently licensed by Metrocall USA, Inc.
Seventy years ago, the January 23, 1956, issue of Life magazine carried this ad from Delco touting the “Wonder Bar” radio that could be had in your new General Motors car. You would preset the sensitivity, and then by touching the Wonder Bar (or a foot switch), the radio would automatically seek the next station.
Shown here, eighty years ago today in the January 22, 1946, issue of the Detroit Evening Times is Miss Nanci Trumbull, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. George T. Trumbull of Bloomfield Hills, MI, serving up some sodas from the soda fountain to her classmates at Kingswood School, Phillis Klinger, Elizabeth Boyne, and Beverly Whiting.
One might be forgiven if they concluded that Nanci had gotten a job at the local soda parlor. But that would be incorrect. The soda fountain had actually been installed in the recreation room of the Trumbull home for after school snacks.
She passed away in 2014 at the age of 86. Her obituary (Mrs. Nancy Elisabeth Seibert) notes, quite fittingly, that she was a trendsetter all of her life. And she certainly was in 1946. Of course, we have no doubt that these girls were listening to the radio as they enjoyed their sodas. Their listening options are shown below. (You can click on the image for a larger version.) Since it was after school, our bet was that they were listening to “House Party” at 4:00 on WJR.
