125 Years Later, Cobb Island Honors Birthplace Of Wireless Voice Communication

COBB ISLAND, Md. — On a quiet shoreline in Southern Maryland, a simple sentence made history — and the world hasn’t stopped talking since. Now, 125 years later, Cobb Island invites you to stand where it all began and witness the moment that launched the wireless age.

On Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the Charles County Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) will host a public celebration commemorating the 125th anniversary of the first successful wireless transmission of the human voice, conducted by Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden on Cobb Island in 1900.

The event, held at Fisherman’s Field at Cobb Island Road and Neale Sound Drive, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free to attend. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to explore interactive exhibits, join live radio demonstrations, and experience a reenactment of the groundbreaking transmission.

It was on Cobb Island, on Dec. 23, 1900, that Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden, working on behalf of the U.S. Weather Bureau, accomplished what was then believed to be impossible: he successfully transmitted a brief, intelligible voice message over the air from a transmitter site on the island to a receiver nearly a mile away. His message, reportedly “One, two, three, four. Is it snowing where you are, Mr. Thiessen?” marked the first known instance of radiotelephony and laid the foundation for modern AM broadcasting.

“Is It Snowing Where You Are?” — The Voice That Started It All

This historic moment will be reenacted during the anniversary celebration — with the voice transmission sent from Fisherman’s Field and a return telegraph signal received at the Very House, the original home used during Fessenden’s 1900 experiment.

This moment marked the first known wireless voice transmission in world history, predating commercial radio and modern telephony. Before this, wireless communication was limited to Morse code — dots and dashes, not human speech.

Today, the site is commemorated by historical markers and officially recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Smithsonian Institution as the birthplace of radiotelephony.

Radio operators can join via EchoLink (KB3KOW-R) or expected HF bands 40M, 20M, 15M, and 10M.

Make History Part Of Your Holiday

With school out and families gathering, this anniversary offers a rare chance to witness history where it happened, and to honor a small community’s role in a global transformation.

Bring the kids, explore the technology, and relive the moment that made wireless communication possible — only on Cobb Island.

---