A little wonder, every day

The telephone and “telephote” in 1889

Documentary portrait of Jules Verne, photographed by Félix Nadar circa 1878. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F%C3%A9lix_Nadar_1820-1910_portraits_Jules_Verne.jpg. Public domain; unchanged.

Documentary photograph of Frank Conrad’s experimental radio station 8XK in 1920. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frank_Conrad_radio_station_8XK_1920.jpg. Public domain in the United States; unchanged.

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Documentary portrait of Jules Verne, photographed by Félix Nadar circa 1878. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F%C3%A9lix_Nadar_1820-1910_portraits_Jules_Verne.jpg. Public domain; unchanged.

Listen to fact0:00 / —

The story *In the Year 2889*, first published in 1889, presents two separate visions of future media. The *Earth Chronicle* delivers news to subscribers by telephone, while a “telephote” lets people see someone at a distance; the story describes images being transmitted over wires. This is not the internet or radio broadcasting. In the United States, the first widely recognized commercial radio broadcast took place in 1920—about 31 calendar years after publication—although wireless voice broadcasting was possible earlier.