Calvin Coolidge, the first US President to do a radio address 2-22-1924
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Today in 1924, Calvin Cooldige became the first president to do a radio address. Although his 1924 address doesn’t appear to be in existence, please enjoy a short 1928 excerpt of Coolidge bestowing a medal on Charles Lindberg:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Coolidge went on to help create the Federal Radio Commission a few days later. It later became known as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
One of the longest-running programs on the air, Breakfast Club, with host, Don McNeill, was simulcast on TV beginning this day. The telecast of the show was a bomb, but the radio program continued on as one of the longest-running programs on the air. Despite its popularity, few broadcasts of this series exist. Please enjoy a 1945 broadcast below:
Today in 1949, the future teen singing idol, Ricky Nelson, first performed on his parents’ radio show, Ozzie & Harriet. This is his premier episode:
Today in 1922, Ed Wynn became the first big-name vaudeville talent star to sign on as a radio talent. Previously, top talent never considered radio a respectable medium. The single broadcast in 1922 was over WJZ in Newark, and Ed Wynn traumatized by mic fright; he refused to consider broadcasting again until 10 years later when Texaco offered him a large sum of money in 1932. In the new Depression era, vaudeville and musical theatre was in a horrible state and Ed Wynn agreed and began broadcasting his “Texaco Firechief” shows.
In 1949 today, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar debuted on CBS. Featured is the first episode, titled “Mind in the Shadows.” Charles Russell plays the starring role as the insurance investigator with the action-packed expense account. Please enjoy the debut episode:
