25 th April

1864 Guglielmo Marconi was born. (See March 27th entry.)

1898 The U. S. formally declared war on Spain. (See April 24th entry.)

1918 Ella Fitzgerald was born.

1945 U. S. and U. S.S. R. troops met in friendship.

1945 The United Nations Conference opened. (See January 1 st, January 9th, and October 24th entries.)

Turn on the radio and spin down the dial. Station after station broadcasts all kinds of music, news, chat, advertising, interviews, and other information to the world. One man

Would be particularly pleased if he were alive to see, or rather hear, this endless variety of stations, not to mention emergency broadcast services and two-way radio communications. Today is Guglielmo Marconi’s birthday. born in 1864 in Bologna, Italy, Marconi was the father of the wireless radio which revolutionized worldwide communications. But this day marks a number of other communications high-water marks as well. In 1945, as the Second World War was drawing toward a close in Europe, American and Soviet soldiers met at the Elbe River, and a group of international dignitaries met in San Francisco at the opening of the United Nations Conference. At that magic moment, the east and west joined forces on two separate fronts, despite the language barrier. In 1918, a female diplomat who never worried about speaking any particular language was born. Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald communicated to international audiences through her singing, bringing diverse peoples together in a common love of jazz.