ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the first push-buttons on electrical devices and ends with the introduction of wireless radio remote controls before the outbreak of World War II. The main focus is the United States in the 1930s, specifically the technical, discursive, and cultural vectors that intersected and mutually influenced each other as the scene of remote control stabilized over the course of the decade. From 1930 to 1933, families were exposed to the idea of push-button station selection and remote control devices for radio, even if these luxuries remained out of reach for most. Several developments between 1934 and 1936 furthered the trend toward reclined consumption of radio. As economic conditions improved, free-standing console radios became fashionable again. Several manufacturers implemented the teledial interface on their 1937 and 1938 models, enhancing and remediating the airplane dials that were still in vogue.
