On November 20, 1919, General Electric purchased the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America based in New Brunswick, New Jersey. With this acquisition, GE created its own radio communications subsidiary, the Radio Corporation of America. This Sunday the Sarnoff Collection at the College of New Jersey will celebrate RCA’s 100th birthday.
Special events planned for the celebration include a demonstration of the construction of a crystal set radio and a talk on RCA’s role in the development of televisions. Visitors can also view RCA-related memorabilia from the collection and In The Groove: A Century of Sound, a temporary exhibit on the evolution of recorded sound.
The Sarnoff Collection is named for David Sarnoff, longtime chairman of RCA. The collection holds over 6,000 objects related to developments in communication in the twentieth century, including Sarnoff’s papers and publications related to RCA. Since its founding, the Sarnoff collection has expanded to include a library, archives, and a museum.
The 100 Years of RCA celebration will take place on November 17, 2019 from 11:00 to 3:00.