On August 12, 1877, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. It was originally an accident. However, it was a happy one as it turned out to be Edison’s favorite invention of the many he created. Edison constructed the phonograph while working on improvements to the telegraph and the telephone.
The Phonograph’s Background
In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would transcribe telegraphic messages through indentations on paper. Later these messages could be sent over the telegraph repeatedly. Edison theorized a telephone message could be recorded in a similar way. Eventually, Edison’s work to prove his speculation resulted in the phonograph. The first words Edison chose to speak into the phonograph? None other than “Mary had a little lamb”.
The Phonograph In Society
Edison filed for a patent on December 24, 1877. The patent’s issue date: February 19, 1878. Afterwards, Edison established the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company in order to sell the machine he invented.
Beyond recording and playing back sounds, Edison suggested other uses for the phonograph. Some were:
- letter writing and dictation;
- phonographic books for blind people;
- recording family members in their own voices;
- music boxes and toys;
- clocks that announce time;
- and a connection with the telephone so communications could be recorded.
Today, many of Edison’s suggestions are now a reality.
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Info Source: Loc.gov and America’s Library
Photo Source: Britannica
