The Presidential Library marking the Radio Day

The Radio Day was first celebrated in the USSR in 1925 with ceremonies in honor of the 30th anniversary of the invention of radio, and in May 1945, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR issued a decree on the establishment of Radio Day on May 7 “to mark the 50th anniversary of the invention of radio by Russian scientist A. S. Popov”. On October 1, 1980, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, this day was fixed as an official holiday Radio Day, a holiday for workers in all communications sectors.

Publications “50 years of radio: a scientific and technical collection” (1945) and “A. S. Popov: collection of documents: marking the 50th anniversary of the invention of radio” (1945), available on the Presidential Library’s portal, introduces the history of the invention of radio, which marked the beginning of this holiday.

“On April 25 (May 7), 1895, Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrated his device, which became the ancestor of modern radios. Scientists who were present at a meeting of the physical department of the Russian Physicochemical Society, open to everyone, saw the world's first apparatus, which received electromagnetic oscillations from a considerable distance and recorded them”, - writes Professor Viktor Danilevsky in the collection “Alexander Popov”. Then the only source of electrical vibrations recorded by the receiver was nature, and Alexander Popov called his device “lightning detector”. In July 1895, the inventor connected the Morse telegraph apparatus, which recorded radiograms, to the lightning detector.

Further the publication notes that “having reported his experiments with the first receiver, Popov said: “In conclusion, I can express hope that my device, with further improvement, can be applied to transmitting signals over a distance using fast electrical vibrations as soon as it is found a source of such vibrations with sufficient energy". <...> Laboratory of the Mining Officer Class, harbors, raids and forts of Kronstadt, the audience of the Russian Physicochemical and Russian Technical Societies, the Park of the Forestry Engineering Academy - this is the list of places in Leningrad and Kronstadt that saw radio for the first time in human history”.

The inventor's path to the creation of a wireless telegraph and the further struggle for its implementation, especially in the Navy, were not easy.

Alexander Popov was born on March 4 (16 of a new style) in the Ural village of Turinsky Rudniki in a priest's family and studied first at the Perm Theological Seminary, demonstrating academic success and a great interest in mathematics and physics. The young man entered the University of St. Petersburg at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, and from the age of 20 he had forever connected his fate with electricity.

According to the collection “Alexander Popov”, “Popov was not only interested in electrical engineering, but also as a student began to work in this area, which was just born then. He invested his share of labor in the creation of the first Russian power plants. <...> Admiring now the coverage of Nevsky Prospect, we should remember that Popov was among the first workers who conducted it”.

Despite the difficult financial situation, Popov graduated with honors from the university course, brilliantly defended his thesis and received the candidate's degree.

Soon Popov “...accepted the proposal of the maritime department to enroll as a teacher at the Mines School and the Mines Officer Class in Kronstadt, where, along with the study, a lot of research work was carried out and where there was a well-equipped physical room”, wrote Vice-Admiral Axel Berg in his article included in "Marine Collection: The Navy Journal" (1945), posted on the Presidential Library’s portal.

In the Mine class, the scientist worked until 1901, and until the end of his life he was engaged in the study of electromagnetic waves and devices for their generation and reception. He taught a lot, gave public lectures and reports, developed courses in electrical engineering, and the rest of the time conducted experiments, sometimes independently constructing the missing devices and apparatuses for them.

Alexander Popov improved the apparatus he invented for receiving and recording electromagnetic waves at a distance to achieve greater range and eliminate interference, and successfully introduced it in the Russian Navy. He created the world's first receiver that receives signals by ear using a handset. In 1899, a record was reached for the transmission range of 45 km; the use of a wireless telegraph began not only at sea, but also on land, for the needs of the army. At the same time, the inventor faced great difficulties.

Despite all the obstacles, the invention and the inventor himself received more and more recognition both in Russia and abroad.

Today the Radio Day in Russia is a professional holiday for all specialists whose activities are related to the transmission of information via radio channels. These are announcers and presenters of radio broadcasting, employees of mobile operators, military signalmen, technical workers, teachers and students of radio engineering departments, radio amateurs and others.