# 1940s Microphone Use at Sporting Events



## tabasco5 (Nov 14, 2014)

In my current story, I have a scene set at a professional baseball game in 1941.  I want to have an announcer speak to the crowd over a microphone, but I don't know if that technology was in use at that time.  

So, would a stadium in 1941 have a microphone and speaker system?  If not would they use other means to speak to the crowd - bullhorns, etc.?


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## ppsage (Nov 15, 2014)

This is 1939:

[video=youtube;3oW1RuGqw7g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oW1RuGqw7g[/video]


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## garza (Nov 15, 2014)

PA systems were common in larger stadiums by 1930. By 1940 even small town stadiums were equipped with good public address systems, some much earlier. In the newsreel footage of Gehrig's 4th July 1939 farewell speech you can see a variety of single and double button carbon mics and a couple of dynamic mics.

edit - I had to check to be certain, but the microphone directly in front of Gehrig is a Western Electric 639 combination ribbon/dynamic microphone, a fairly new design at the time. That would have had the best quality and possibly belonged to WNBC.


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## tabasco5 (Nov 15, 2014)

Thanks ppsage and garza.  Both responses answered my question entirely.


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## K.S. Crooks (Nov 17, 2014)

Also remember that the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany was the first world televised event.


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## garza (Nov 19, 2014)

And when the games were over, I suspect the Nazis were sorry they went to the trouble.


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## tabasco5 (Nov 21, 2014)

garza said:


> And when the games were over, I suspect the Nazis were sorry they went to the trouble.



I suspect they were sorry they went to the trouble of several things.


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