| 1921 |
 Chronomedia index
Numbers after entries link to the list of references. |
links and notes |
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| January 2 |
KDKA radio station in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania broadcasts the first religious
broadcast on US radio. The preacher is Dr E J Van Etten. |
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| January 15 |
KDKA transmits a speech by future US president Herbert Hoover—his first radio broadcast. |
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| February 18 |
KDKA broadcasts live speeches from a Pittsburg Press Club dinner at the William Penn Hotel. |
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| March 4 |
The inaugural address by Warren G Harding is read from an advance copy of the speech on
radio station KDKA while the incoming US president is speaking in Washington DC. |
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| April 11 |
KDKA broadcasts live commentary on a lightweight boxing match between Johnny Dundee
and Johnny Ray. |
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| April 26 |
Radio station WEW in St Louis, Missouri, broadcasts what is claimed to be the
weather bulletin and forecast. |
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| May 19 |
Radio station 9ZAF in Denver, Colorado, transmits an amateur production of the
opera Martha in full from the Denver Auditorium. |
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| May |
Causes and Prevention of Blindness: Interim report is published by the Ministry
of Health to make recommendations about eye problems associated with the type of lights used in British
film studios. The Kinematograph Manufacturers Association agrees to an immediate change in practice. |
 Abstract of the report |
| June 30 |
Formation of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). |
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| June |
Westinghouse introduces The Aeriola Jr crystal set radio receiver on the consumer
market. The cube-like box (measuring 7ins x 6ins x 6ins) comes with headphones and sells for $25. Its
receiving range is up to 15 miles. |
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| July 16 |
Lee De Forest files a patent application for a sound-on-film system. The sound signal
is fed to an oxide-coated valve (vacuum tube). the brightness of which varies with the signal. The light
generated passes through a slit and is recorded as a narrow strip next to the sprocket holes on the film.
[0025] |
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| July 2 |
Commentary on the world heavyweight championship boxing match between Jack Dempsey and
Georges Carpentier is broadcast live from Jersey City. |
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| August 4 |
KDKA broadcasts live commentary on Davis Cup tennis matches between Britain and
Australia, being played in Pittsburg. |
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| August 5 |
KDKA broadcasts live commentary on a baseball game (Pittsburg Pirates 8
Philadelphia 3) with commentary by Harold Arlin. |
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| August 30 |
US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accuses Famous Players Lasky Corporation of block
booking—requiring exhibitors to take packages of films, unseen, in order to acquire the major
titles—and commences an anti-trust action. |
à 1927
US anti-trust enforcement delays |
| September 4 |
Radio station WIL in St Louis, Missouri transmits a police message. |
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| September 5 |
First radio transmission licence (8AA) in France is granted to M Riss of Boulogne-sur-Mer. |
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| September 20 |
KDKA introduces a daily radio news bulletin in collaboration with The Pittsburg
Post newspaper. |
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| October 5 |
First radio broadcast of commentary on a baseball game is made from the Polo Grounds,
New York, by Graham McNamee (WJZ, Newark, NJ) and by Grantland Rice (KDKA, Pittsburg). |
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| November 14 |
Radio station KYW in Chicago broadcasts a professional production of the opera
Samson et Delilia live from the Chicago Auditorium. |
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| December |
Westinghouse's second and third consumer radio receivers incorporate valves (vacuum
tubes). The Aeriola Sr has one valve, uses dry batteries for power and sells for $60. The Aeriola Grand
is the first table console model, in a wooden cabinet (15 ins x 12 ins x 16 ins) and has an internal
loudspeaker. Its price is $175. |
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| l |
In the US a producer-distributor conglomerate, Associated First National, is formed by the
merger of distributor First National and Associated Producers, comprising a group of independent
producer-directors: Allan Dwan, Thomas Ince, Marshall Neilan, J Parker Reade Jr, Mack Sennett, Maurice
Tourneur, George Loane Tucker and King Vidor. [0058] |
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| l |
American distributors United Artists and First National open branches in France. |
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| l |
German film production company Decla-Bioscop is taken over by Ufa. |
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| l |
UK: 4,000 wireless receiving licences have been issued to date. |
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| l |
Finland has 20 cinemas in Helsinki and 138 in the whole country. |
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| l |
Foundation of the Institute for Cinema Studies in Japan. |
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| l |
Australian federal government creates the Commonwealth Cinema and Photographic
Branch to expand the work of the Commonwealth Cinematographer. |
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| l |
State-of-the-art film studios are opened by Ufa at
Neubabelsberg, near Potsdam, Germany. The state provides secret investment. German film production
reaches a peak of 646 feature films. |
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| l |
Construction of Beaconsfield Studios is started by London producer George Clark. |
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| l |
George W Bingham is granted patents for his Widescope film system, using 70mm camera
stock, slit during processing and shown on two interlocked 35mm projectors. His cinema using the system
closes after a week because of mechanical troubles. |
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| l |
Plastigram anaglyphic 3-D film process is demonstrated. |
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| l |
In France, the Héraute Colour film process is used for L’Amour Eternel. |
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| l |
First feature-length film made in China, Yen Rei-sun, is produced by
China Film Research Society. |
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| l |
Dhirendranath Ganguly (1893-1978) makes his directorial début with Bilet
Pherat (England Returned), the first Indian film with a contemporary social setting. |
|
| l |
 UK's
General Post Office standardises the design of its telephone kiosks, based on a version
used in Birmingham. |
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