Posts Tagged ‘England’

The town crier has been a valued job since medieval times. This position was protected by the monarchy as the town crier would often be the bearer of bad news. “Don’t shoot the messenger” could be about the town crier. Most of the populace could not read, so the only way to get news was to hear it from the town crier. Until very recently, even the United States Congress used a crier. Today, the town crier is still a valued position in England. The loudest crier on record is Alan Myatt, holding two Guinness World Records, was recorded at 112 decibels.

Marconi Day commemorates the birth of wireless pioneer Guiglielmo Marconi on this day in 1874.  Marconi was born in Bologna, Italy.  Marconi showed an interest in physics at a young age, and upon leaving school in 1895 he created a wireless telegraph that transmitted a signal 1.5 miles.

The next year, Marconi took his invention to England and received a patent. In 1897 he formed the Marconi Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company. His transmissions were gaining distance, and in 1899 he transmitted a signal across the English Channel.  Marconi was determined, however, to prove that the curvature of the earth did not affect the transmission of a wireless signal, and in 1901 he sent a wireless signal from Cornwall to Newfoundland, a distance of 2100 miles.

Guiglielmo Marconi received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909. He received countless awards and honors throughout his life, and is still honored by radio hobbyists to this day.

Proposal Day was started by a minister in England who wanted to give young couples some encouragement to take the next step from dating to engagement. Proposal Day takes place on the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes each year, the two days when day and night are equal. He chose these days to symbolize the partnership between husband and wife. (more…)