National Radio Day Honors Radio's Ability To Build Community & Connection

The history of mankind is filled with incredible, life-changing inventions — fire, automobiles, electricity, the internet — but on Tuesday (August 20), the world celebrates another milestone creation that has changed and even improved our day-to-day lives: radio.

August 20 is National Radio Day which means it's finally time to celebrate all things radio. Though the special day has been recognized since the 1990s, per NationalRadioDay.com , the radio actually dates back to 19th century with the discovery of electromagnetic waves.

According to PBS , it wasn't until the late 1800s when Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi started experimenting with short broadcasts, later broadcasting the first transatlantic signal, and physicist Reginald Fessenden sent the first long-distance transmission of music and human voice in December 1906 that the concept of the radio that we know today was created.

In the 100-plus years since its invention, radio has grown to become a place of human connection as the people behind the mic not only bring news and music but build community with their listeners, a sentiment even supported by statistics shared by the Pew Research Center that shows about 59% of radio and podcast hosts feel "extremely or very connected" to those tuning in.

On this National Radio Day, what better way is there to celebrate than with iHeartRadio's extensive catalog of music, podcast and live radio shows. Whether you enjoy relaxing listening to your favorite artist, tuning in to hear the latest news, following along with sports highlights or learning something new and fun on a podcast, iHeartRadio has you covered.

Listen to some of the biggest hits on the radio today at iHeartRadio.com