Thomas Edison and the Phonograph

The phonograph brought Thomas Edison great international fame. His cylinder phonograph, discovered in 1877, could record and reproduce sound. There were so many uses for the phonograph including for business, education, as well as a great form of entertainment. Edison also produced musical cylinders called “jukeboxes”. They were like coin-slot phonographs and provided great entertainment for all.

The Inventions of Thomas Edison
The History of the Edison Cylinder Phonograph
Paul Starr, The Creation of the Media, pgs. 298-299

Many people did not know that Thomas Edison was hard of hearing, and not totally deaf. Edison was hard of hearing and he liked it that way. He felt that it was easier to focus on his projects because of his condition. Thomas Edison was a great inventor with his own scientific laboratory and a manufacturing facility. He invented not just the phonograph, but also the light bulb, telegraph, telephone, x-ray, and the motion picture camera.

Fascinating Facts About Edison