# Canonical recap data for Edison Demonstrates Phonograph (1877)
# Source: https://recap.at/1877/phonograph-invention
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: phonograph-invention
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1877/phonograph-invention"
title: Edison Demonstrates Phonograph
aliases:
- Phonograph Invention
- Edison's Tinfoil Phonograph
- First Sound Recording
subtitle: Thomas Edison's first practical audio recording machine astonished the world and initiated the era of recorded sound, transforming entertainment and communication forever.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1877-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1877
decade: 1870
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks (EDSN) was a failed CubeSat constellation by NASA Ames, developed as a technology demonstration of satellite networking. The constellation would have consisted of 8 identical satellites. The satellites followed the CubeSat specifications for a 1.5U CubeSat.
summaryLong: Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks (EDSN) was a failed CubeSat constellation by NASA Ames, developed as a technology demonstration of satellite networking. The constellation would have consisted of 8 identical satellites. The satellites followed the CubeSat specifications for a 1.5U CubeSat.
lede: On December 6, 1877, Thomas Edison demonstrated the phonograph—a device that could record sound onto tinfoil-wrapped cylinders and play it back—at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. It was the first practical machine ever built to capture and reproduce human speech and music, fundamentally changing how people could store, share, and experience sound.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Abraham_Archibald_Anderson_-_Thomas_Alva_Edison_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/1280px-Abraham_Archibald_Anderson_-_Thomas_Alva_Edison_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Abraham Archibald Anderson (1847 - 1940) Details on Google Art Project · via Wikipedia
importance: 88
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date of First Demonstration
  value: December 6, 1877
- label: Location
  value: Menlo Park, New Jersey laboratory
- label: Recording Medium
  value: Tinfoil-wrapped cylinder
- label: First Recorded Words
  value: "\"Mary had a little lamb\""
- label: Playback Method
  value: Stylus vibrating against grooves to produce sound
- label: Notable Witness
  value: Staff at Scientific American
timeline:
- date: 1877-07-18
  title: Edison Conceives the Phonograph
  description: Edison sketches initial design concepts for a sound-recording device, inspired by telegraph technology and experiments with acoustic vibrations.
- date: 1877-11-29
  title: First Recorded Words
  description: Edison records and plays back "Mary had a little lamb" on a tinfoil cylinder, confirming the basic principle works.
- date: 1877-12-06
  title: Public Demonstration at Menlo Park
  description: Edison demonstrates the phonograph to visitors and Scientific American staff, playing back recorded speech and music from tinfoil cylinders.
- date: 1877-12-18
  title: Patent Application Filed
  description: Edison files a patent application for the phonograph with the U.S. Patent Office.
- date: 1878-02-19
  title: Patent Granted
  description: U.S. Patent No. 200,521 is granted to Thomas Edison for the phonograph.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Demonstration_of_Smallsat_Networks"
  title: Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Edison's phonograph dissolved the boundary between live and recorded sound, setting the template for every music and voice technology that followed. The machine proved that information could be physically encoded and retrieved—a principle that would underpin everything from vinyl records to digital audio.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
- scientific_breakthrough
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- discovery
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Edison demonstrates the phonograph, the first device to record and reproduce sound, on December 6, 1877.
wikidataQid: Q18154295
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260130172301/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Demonstration_of_Smallsat_Networks"
  capturedAt: 2026-01-30
  label: Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Demonstration_of_Smallsat_Networks"
