Library hosts speaker

Dr. Joy Hayes with the University of Iowa spoke to a crowd at the Monticello Public Library on Feb. 28 about the history of the radio and it’s association with the supernatural. This was part of the library’s adult STEM book club, “Pushing the Limits.” Guglielmo Marconi is known as the pioneer of long-distance radio transmission. Hayes explained that Marconi was also obsessed with Mars and space exploration in the early 1900s. Oliver Lodge, who lost is son in WWI, thought of using the radio as a communication tool with those from another world. “He had a sense that people connect to something bigger than themselves,” said Hayes. She said the idea of using radio waves to communicate with the supernatural is still around today with the various ghost-hunting reality TV shows that exist. By the end of the 1920s, independent radio stations began to take shape. From 1929-56, people literally tuned into the radio for news, comedy shows, dramas, and crime shows. Hayes said Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” was created as a hoax. When listeners heard it on the radio in the late 1930s, many believed the U.S. was actually being invaded and attacked by aliens. Hayes said media hoaxes still exist today with “fake news” conspiracy theories, especially on social media. “Once they're picked up,” she said, “they’re really easy to pass on.” (Photo by Kim Brooks)