Local Boy's Home Built Radio Made History in 1925
Art Collins came to mind
nine days ago when I responded to @mariannewest's "Day 140: 5 Minute Freewrite: First African in Space" prompt.
source
In "Not the Usual Crazy", I mentioned the legendary Art Collins story:
At age fifteen, Collins accidentally or serendipitously made contact with Admiral Perry and the MacMillan expedition. Their German-built radios couldn’t get through to headquarters in DC, but this Iowa boy ended up sending and receiving messages in Morse code throughout the summer of 1925--even though his equipment consisted of a Quaker Oats box, glass towel racks, some wire and a Model T spark coil. In my dad’s eyes, Art Collins was as epic and legendary as a comic book superhero.
Today, the story is back in an Iowa newspaper's "Time Machine" column.
By Diane Fannon-Langton, thegazette.com, Sunday, March 18, 2018
Additional Stories:
The Boy Radio Genius from Cedar Rapids by Katie Mills Giorgio
Famous Iowans - Arthur Collins | DesMoinesRegister.com
Arthur Collins, who was often described as an electronic genius, was one of Iowa's greatest and most successful businessmen ... Under Collins' leadership, Collins Radio Co. of Cedar Rapids produced sophisticated and cutting-edge communications equipment, aviation electronics and navigation systems.
Arthur Collins documentary to premiere
JFKcountercoup: Arthur A. Collins & Collins Radio
Mar 2, 2012 - Arthur and another early boyhood radio devotee, Merrill Lund, made their first crystal receivers at the Lund home at 1644 D Avenue in Cedar Rapids. A neighbor's recollection of early days in the Collins family neighborhood: "We sensed that Arthur was different, but we did not know that he was a genius.
AA Collins, Life Story - Rockwell Collins Museum
At about the age of nine, Arthur Collins became deeply interested in the new marvel of radio...
How fun it is
to write a short story with an obscure anecdote from American history, then to learn anecdote may not be so obscure, after all.
Until next time,
Keangaroo
because Kean sounds like Kane (not keen, hint, hint)
@keangaroo at Discord
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What a cool story. I just love it.
My dad had a 'two crystal' radio when I was just little. With it he could get KOA Denver after dark. We could listen to Cincinnati Reds baseball games before the Dodgers moved west. Magic.
Thanks for a great story!
You must have magic in your writing fingers!!!
That is so cool!!!!
Art Collins came to mind at about the time that reporter may have handed off her own Time Machine article about him, and who knows, maybe thoughts travel through the air like radio waves, and only if our brains are tuned to them do we pick them up.... scary/fun to imagine!
That's really something, Art Collins, a hero indeed!!