Snapshot 1928… A couple in London is spotted in New York just a few seconds later…

May 24, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 

Impossible you say? I’ll let Wikipedia do the talking:

“On February 9th, 1928, Hartsdale became the birthplace of the American “Couch Potato” when the Scottish inventor John Logie Baird (1888-1946) transmitted the world’s first inter-continental short-wave television signal from a transmitter (call sign 2KZ) in Coulsdon, Surrey (a suburb of London, England) to his colleague O.G. Hutchinson in the cellar of Robert M. Hart, an Amateur Radio Operator (call sign 2CVJ) in Hartsdale, New York.”

And what was transmitted? A man and a woman… well, at least a “live” image of them, making them the first couple to been seen in two places at once. Most newspapers of the day reported this historic event, including the Chicago Daily Tribune shown to the right.

Imagine a world without phones or the internet…

March 17, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog-3-24-2016-NewspaperlessTelevision, radio, the internet, texting, Facebook, e-mail… The tools we currently have available for communication are almost endless. However, there was a time not too long ago when newspapers were the primary means for disseminating information. Whereas it would be difficult for us to imagine a world without phones or the internet, the Hartford Courant explores this same concept for those living in the 1870’s through an article in their November 18, 1871 issue: “The World Without Newspapers”. The link above will take you to the entire text of the article.

Communication… My how far we’ve come…

November 12, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

When it comes to collecting historic newspapers related to progress in the area of communication, collectors (rightfully so) typically focus on the telegraph, Morse code, the Pony Express, the typewriter, and the telephone. However, we recently came across a newspaper from New York which may rival some of the most collectible issues in the area of communication development – the report of the first successful use of a cell phone. At the time this historic event was only deemed worthy of a page 57 report, and most newspapers never reported it. As a result, this may end up being one of the most difficult reports to find… and collect.  Once again we are reminded of one of the greatest joys of the hobby – uncovering hidden gems… instantly transforming what was once an average newspaper into a noteworthy collectible.  Please enjoy the report on our website at New York Times, April 4, 1973 or on eBay at Historic Cell Phone Call – Motorola DynaTAC: