In This Month: February

The Phonograph is Invented

On the 19th February 1878, Thomas Edison received a patent for his latest invention – the phonograph. The machine, which was the first device that could record and replay sound, was the forerunner for record players, dictaphones and early talking clocks. The first model consisted of a tinfoil sheet wrapped around a grooved cylinder – sound was recorded as indentations made by a stylus into the foil sheet.

In this picture, which was taken in around 1881, Edison is listening through a primitive headphone, after apparently spending five continuous days and nights working on his phonograph. Edison, who is considered one of the most prolific inventors in recent history, also invented the light bulb, the telephone and the telegraph.

For more about inventions, check out The Re-Inventors.