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In 1908, the first long-distance radio transmission was sent from the Eiffel Tower. Never intended as a permanent strcuture, the tower’s importance as a radio transmitter likely saved it from demolition; in the First World War, it was used to jam German radio during the Battle of the Marne.
That first radio transmission was telegraphic, most likely in Morse code�but it’s nice to imagine it was a broadcast of Claire de lune, which Debussey published in 1905. Play the Hotel Commodore Ensemble’s 1927 recording below while watching the Lumi�re brothers’ 1899 movie to triangulate the spirit of the age.
Debussey recording via archive.org; Lumi�re brothers’ film via YouTube. Gearfuse Almanac items are verified fitfully.
