Before television, the favorite after-dinner pastime for Americans was gathering the family into a darkened room, lit only by the golden glow coming from the box in the corner. There they entered a magical world where everything was possible, a world where there was laughter, drama, tales of western heros, bold detectives and travelers to the stars. It was the world of radio ... "The stuff dreams are made of" ... "The theatre of the mind".

Whether drama, comedy, or news events, radio broadcasting changed us forever. Radio touched our lives and brought us all closer together. It brought live entertainment, music, sporting events and world news into our living rooms. For the first time in history we heard events, good or bad, as they happened. We listened with sadness and in shock as President Roosevelt informed us of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We were there with Edward R. Murrow during the bombing of London. We listened with interest to the Scopes' "monkey" trials, and the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptman, the lindburgh kidnapper. We laughed along with Amos and Andy, Jack Benny, Mary and Rochester, Fred Allen down in Allen's Alley, Fibber McGee and Molly from 79 Wistful Vista and the boys down at Duffy's Tavern. (Where the elite meet to eat) And we tapped our feet to the swinging sounds of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, The Dorsey Brothers and Artie Shaw.

And those wonderful old radios we listened to... absolute works of art! It's interesting to note that as technology advances, designs become more and more mundane. My TV in the living room is a prime example: a boring black plastic box.

This is where you'll find links to sites that showcase the golden days of radio. From images of those wonderful Art Deco wooden boxes, to real audio versions of old-time radio shows and sites that tell the story of radio's golden age.