Motorola
Founded by the Galvin brothers in Chicago and renamed for its first hit product — the Motorola car radio.
Founded1928
HeadquartersChicago, IL
IndustryWireless Communications
Motorola SCR-300 backpack radio, 1940 · CC0 · National Electronics Museum via Wikimedia Commons
Overview
It put wireless in the soldier's hand, in the astronaut's headset, and finally in everyone's pocket.
Founders
Paul Galvin and Joseph Galvin
Founded September 25, 1928, as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation
Landmark Achievements
- Built the SCR-300 backpack radio and handie-talkie that kept American forces connected through World War II.
- Carried the first words from the Moon — Apollo 11's transmissions traveled through a Motorola radio transponder.
- Invented the handheld cell phone: Martin Cooper's first call in 1973 and the DynaTAC 8000X, the first commercial handheld mobile phone, in 1983.
Motorola's place in the story
Continue through the chronicle — the builders of American technology, in founding order.