2020-02-13 Thu

Those were the days when the only source of “noise” was that of the radios. Even before the television (black and white or color), the Radio was the only source of the “Breaking News”. This remarkable invention of connecting to the world was an achievement of an Italian scientist named Guglielmo Marconi.

Sometime around the start of the 20th century, Marconi developed the first apparatus for long-distance radio communication and on 12th December in 1901, the world’s first-ever wireless message was sent! And since then radio has played an integral role in mass communications and technological developments all through the centuries.

In the remembrance of the establishment of the United Nations Radio (the UN's international broadcasting service,) on 13th February 1946, the first World Radio Day was officially celebrated on this day in the year 2012. This day celebrates the radio as a way of educating people, providing information, and promoting freedom of expression across cultures. This year’s theme is “We Are Diversity Radio”.

In the year 1990, the Banca d'Italia issued 2000 Italian Lira banknotes celebrating the invention of the Radio. The bill of lire duemila portrays Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor of the telegraph and the radio on the obverse. The reverse, on the other hand, depicts the whole system of radio transition including the oldest radio set. These 2000 Italian Lira banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in 2002.

Image Courtesy: currencies.fandom.com