Eugenia Farrar

In the fall of 1907 she gave what is commonly believed to be the first live radio singing performance, when she sang over Lee de Forest's experimental transmitter located atop the Parker Building in New York City.

[2] After her father died when she was 17, she and her mother moved to the United States, settling in New York City, where Eugenia began to establish herself a professional singer,[1] specializing in religious songs.

In 2008, Navy Yard employees Melissa Dubbin and Aaron S. Davidson prepared a replacement urn, which was placed on display along with biographical information at the Green-Wood cemetery in New York City.

In the summer and fall of that year Lee de Forest was busy preparing radiotelephone transmitter installations on the U.S. Navy vessels forming the Great White Fleet, and he established a laboratory atop the Parker Building in New York City.

[14] In addition, at a September 22 "Lee De Forest Day" luncheon at the 1939 New York World's Fair, Farrar briefly spoke and was described as the "first singer to go on the air for Dr. DeForest in 1907".

[15] And in his 1950 autobiography, de Forest makes a passing reference to the broadcast, stating: "The equipment was put on board the battleships in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and final tests were made on the eve of the ships' departure from New England waters.

"[16] Some accounts state that after Farrar's singing was heard by radio operators at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, they contacted the New York Herald, which ran a short review which was read by de Forest.

[18] Although Farrar stated that her broadcast took place in the month of October,[1] the lack of a contemporary report has led to various dates being suggested, including February 1907,[19] a "Spring afternoon",[20] and December 16, 1907.