The History of Ham Radio
The concept of a ham radio first came about with Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 with his discovery of using electromagnetic waves to send signals over long distances. Americans then toyed with this idea for the next 7 years and by 1912, the first Radio Transmissions laws were passed in the United States. The ham radio then began to be used nation-wide for communication purposes and has continued to advance.
Currently, in order to transmit an "amateur radio frequency" (http://redbaron.bishops,ntc.nf.ca/techno/2104/marine/adam/) you must have a license. There are different types of licenses based on the number of frequency bands desired. A written exam is needed to gain such a license. There are about 675,000 amateur radio operators in the U.S. Ham radios have even gone into space. Owen K. Garriot was the first to take one and use it as a means of communication while in space. This great idea is now used for students to communicate with astronauts while they're in space.
The radio waves that ham radios use are either the VHF wave (very high frequency wave) or the UHF wave (ultrahigh frequency wave). The VHF wave ranges from 30 to 300 megahertz, while the UHV wave ranges from 300 to 3,000 megahertz. All frequencies are controlled by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).
The History of The Yellow Pages
The yellow pages were first printed following the publication of the telephone book in 1878 in New Haven.
The book was only one page and listed fifty names. At the time only names were listed, not phone numbers,
because the operators connected each customer. This one page document was listed in four different
sections: residential, professional, miscellaneous, and essential service listings.
Reuben H. Donnelly later expanded on this concept in 1886 to recreate the very
first yellow pages directory. This document actually featured business names and phone
numbers based on product types and services offered. The yellow pages directory first
started offering coupons within it in 1909 and this practice has continued ever since.
Why did the "Yellow Pages" become known as the "Yellow Pages"?
In 1883, even before the first Yellow Pages were published, a printer creating a telephone book ran out of white paper and had to use yellow.
The first telephone directory ever published was only one page and did not list phone numbers, because that was the operator's job.
Currently yellow pages are a common essential found within most households. Yellow pages provide their customers with valuable information. It includes residential and business addresses and phone numbers, government listings, and elected official listings. They are also another form of advertisement for all businesses found within the local vicinity. Yellow pages often provide maps, a street index, time zones, zip codes listings, area codes listings, coupons, recycling information, school listings, parks & library listings, postal information, sporting information, health related agencies, clubs & organization listings and local transportation information. The yellow pages are updated each year and are delivered to all residents with a phone line.
Billboards
Did you know that billboards are the oldest form of advertising? Egyptian merchants actually chiseled advertisements on stones and placed them along roadways.
The printing press and invention of paper made billboards first possible in Europe sometime after the year 1500.
How did billboards ever get their name? Posting "bills" on wooden boards sometime during the late 19th century led to the name "billboard."
Billboards can have an effect of policy currently being made. For example, stricter laws for drunk driving was impacted by the use of billboards showing pictures of victims of drunk drivers placed on major highways. A perfect example of its impact is seen when Alting said, "It was very difficult for me to vote any other way when you see those billboards." (http://www.ddreform.org/Articles/Towery28.html) Alting was originally against the .08 percent legislation and thought that statistics did not support the change. The billboard obviously changed his position.
The first billboards are actually considered early cave drawings. During Greek and Roman times posters were displayed outside to give people information. As time continued billboards became just that, overgrown outdoor posters used to sell ideas, goods, and services. Lithography was the printing method invented in the 19th century that made billboards possible. Nowadays the biggest challenge for a billboard designer is to create something clear and simple enough that a moving viewer easily understands it. Such signs must also be creative enough to catch the attention of its audience. Signs are strategically placed to reach as many potential customers as possible, and are clearly a wonderful means of advertising.
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