The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Company. In 1932, RCA became an independent company after the partners were required to divest their ownership as part of the settlement of a government antitrust suit.
An innovative and progressive company, RCA was the dominant electronics and communications firm in the United States for over five decades. RCA was at the forefront of the mushrooming radio industry in the early 1920s, as a major manufacturer of radio receivers, and the exclusive manufacturer of the first superheterodyne sets. RCA also created the first nationwide American radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The company was also a pioneer in the introduction and development of television, both black and white and especially color television. During this period, RCA was closely identified with the leadership of David Sarnoff. He became general manager at the company's founding, served as president from 1930 to 1965, and remained active as chairman of the board until the end of 1969.
During the 1970s, RCA's seemingly impregnable stature as a leader in technology, innovation and home entertainment began to weaken as it attempted to expand from its main focus of the development and marketing of consumer electronics and communications into a diversified multinational conglomerate. Additionally, the company began to face increasing competition in the US from international electronics firms such as Sony, Philips and Mitsubishi. RCA suffered enormous financial losses in the mainframe computer industry and other failed projects such as the CED videodisc. Though the company was rebounding by the mid-1980s, RCA never regained its former eminence and was reacquired by General Electric in 1986; over the next few years, GE liquidated most of the corporation's assets. Today, RCA exists as a brand name only; the various RCA trademarks are currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment and Technicolor, which in turn license the RCA brand name and trademarks to several other companies, including Voxx International, Curtis International, AVC Multimedia, TCL Corporation and Express LUCK International, Ltd. for their various products.
1919Oct, 17
RCA is incorporated as the Radio Corporation of America.
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Events on 1919
- 5Jan
Nazi Party
The German Workers' Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded. - 23Mar
Italian Fascism
In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement. - 4May
Treaty of Versailles
May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan. - 19May
Turkish War of Independence
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what is later termed the Turkish War of Independence. - 29May
General relativity
Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin.