This Week’s Episode

In 1969, President Richard Nixon congratulated the Apollo 11 astronauts on a successful moon landing. But his speechwriter had also prepared a second speech, in the event that the astronauts could not come home.

What is Signal Cannon?

Signal Cannon is a weekly deep-dive into the history and science of music and sound.

It’s written edited by Billy Donahoe.

Every week Billy tackles a new topic related to the stuff we hear every day. From interstellar mixtapes and historical epics to rural music-makers and vintage programming wizardry, Signal Cannon takes us to the weird, forgotten corners of the recorded world. It’s “Humanity Over the Air.”