1895 Marconi experiments with radio transmissions. Twenty-five years later, in 1920, Marconi would broadcast opera on England's first commercial station. Within months, A.C. Gilbert would install a transmitter at his New Haven factory. He was the sixth American to hold a commercial licence. His career in radio was brief and yet his radio tower became an enduring passion for technology.

Gilbert's experiment with radio narrates both an important chapter in the founding of the medium and insights into the man. He took an individual and personal interest in a medium that would bring the voices of individuals to a nation.

Gilbert outfitted a railroad car with a transmitter to travel America broadcasting to boys with crystal sets.