Edison patents the phonograph (1878)

Thomas Edison conceived the phonograph principle in 1877 as a byproduct of telegraph and telephone work, announced the device in November 1877, and demonstrated it that month. The invention was patented on February 19, 1878, as US Patent 200,521. Edison had set up his home and research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876, funding construction through the sale of his quadruplex telegraph.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Edison conceived the principle of recording and reproducing sound between May and July 1877. This development arose as a byproduct of his efforts to play back recorded telegraph messages and automate speech sounds for telephone transmission. He first gained wider notice in 1877 due to this invention, which was initially announced in early November 1877.

Patent Grant. Edison announced his invention of the first phonograph on November 21, 1877, with early reports appearing in Scientific American and newspapers. He demonstrated the device for the first time on November 29, 1877. The phonograph was subsequently patented on February 19, 1878, as US Patent 200,521.

Laboratory Context. Edison set up his home and research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876. The laboratory was built in 1876 in Raritan Township, now named Edison Township in his honor, and its construction was funded by the sale of Edison's quadruplex telegraph. The phonograph patent was granted in February 1878, after Edison had established this laboratory.

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