National Disc Jockey Day is observed annually on January 20th.
A disc jockey, or DJ for short, is a person who plays recorded music either on the radio or at a club or event.
The first disc jockey was an experiment on the airwaves. In 1909, sixteen-year-old Ray Newby was a student under the supervision of Charles “Doc” Herrold at Herrold College of Engineering and Wireless. He played the first records over the airwaves before the word disc jockey even existed.
What started as an experiment from the Garden City Bank Building where the college was located in San Fernando, California was soon being replicated by radio broadcasters across the country. Before Newby’s broadcasts, news, music and entertainment were primarily broadcast live.
It wasn’t until 25 years later that radio commentator Walter Winchell coined the term disc jockey.
Today, contemporary DJs play music from vinyl to digital. Regardless of the medium they use, the term disc jockey still applies.
source: nationaldaycalendar.com
