About The Oldest Audio Recording in America
The experimental recording was a rendition of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
An audio recording refers to the process of capturing and storing sound waves or audio signals in a tangible or digital format for playback or future use. Audio recordings can include musical works, spoken sounds, lectures, podcasts and sound effects.
The Thomas Edison Center located at Menlo Park in Edison, New Jersey holds the unique distinction of being the site where sound was recorded and played back for the very first time in American history.
An audio recording was first made in 1877 on a sheet of tinfoil and played on a phonograph invented by Thomas Edison. The recording still exists today, making it officially the oldest audio recording in America.
The U.S. National Park Service acknowledges that Thomas Alva Edison invented sound recording for the first time. National Museum of America History states Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, the first machine that could record sound and play it back. Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park notes it is the location where sound was recorded and played back for the very first time.
On December 6, 1877, Thomas Edison successfully demonstrated the phonograph by recording and playing back sound for the first time. The experimental recording was a rendition of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
The words were spoken into the phonograph by Edison himself. By 1878, this invention was known all around the world and Edison soon earned the title of “The Wizard of Menlo Park”. The phonograph used a tinfoil cylinder as the recording medium.
The recording process involved speaking or singing into a mouthpiece while a diaphragm and stylus engraved the sound waves onto the rotating tinfoil cylinder. The playback involved retracing the engraved grooves with the same stylus, reproducing the recorded sound.
Machinist John Kruesi built the first phonograph prototype. Once Kruesi completed it, Edison wrapped a sheet of tin foil around the cylinder and proceeded to record the nursery rhyme, “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and then had the machine play the sound back perfectly.
Edison later remarked, “I was never so taken back in my like. Everybody was astonished. I was always afraid of things that worked the first time.”
This historic demonstration showcased the ability to capture and reproduce sound. It laid the foundation for the development of the recording industry and marked the beginning of a new era in communication and entertainment.
Later on, another well-known nursery rhyme that was recorded by Edison on his phonograph was titled "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".While the tinfoil phonograph was a relatively short-lived medium, Edison's invention paved the way for subsequent advancements in audio recording technology, including the transition to flat disc records made of materials like shellac and vinyl.
The phonograph played a pivotal role in making recorded music accessible to the public, shaping the landscape of the music industry in the years to come. While Edison's original recording of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was a simple demonstration of the phonograph's capabilities, it holds immense historical significance as the first-ever audio recording.
Edison went on to make recordings of himself and others reciting poetry, speeches, and excerpts from famous literary works. These recordings served as early examples of spoken word entertainment.