August 20, 2011: National Radio Day

AM, FM or satellite.  Music or talk.  A radio can provide entertainment as well as information and many people depend on their radios to make their daily commutes feel shorter.

According to a recent report from Arbitron, 241.5 million people age 12 and over, which accounts for an overwhelming 93.1 percent of this age group, listen to the radio weekly.  

To celebrate National Radio Day, tune in below for five fun facts:

1.  Radio's earliest roots date back to the mid-1800s as people sought to improve on the telegraph as a form of communication.  Although Guglielmo Marconi is credited with sending and receiving the first radio signal in Italy in 1895, Nikola Tesla was actually the first person to patent the technology of radio.  Lee DeForest provided the technology that made AM radio possible in the early 1900s, but FM radio wasn't invented until 1933 when Edwin Howard Armstrong's work made it a reality.

2.  The longest-running live radio program in the world is the "Grand Ole Opry."  The country music-themed show began in Nashville, TN in 1925.  Originally called "The WSM Barn Dance," it didn't get its current name until 1927 when George Hay, whose program was on after a classical music show, joked to listeners that although they had been listening to grand opera, they would now hear "the grand ole opry."

3.  Can listening to the radio actually make you happier?  Yes, according to a recent study conducted in the U.K. by the Radio Advertising Bureau.  The study involved 1,000 Britons and found that when listening to the radio, people's happiness and energy scores were higher compared to when they were watching TV or using the Internet, and their scores increased by 300 percent compared to when no form of media was being used.

4.  Talk about a gift for gab.  Paul Sfeir set the Guinness World Record for the longest marathon hosting a radio talk show when he hosted his Miami, FL show for 40 hours and seven minutes from April 1-3 this year.

5.  Looking for a new radio station to try?  A comprehensive list of all the radio stations available by area can be found here.  

If you want to listen online, AOL Radio offers more than 350 sports, news, talk, and music stations.