Blog Post #6: EOTO

 Technology: 

    Technology has been advancing for years and continues to do so. It affects our lives and our way of being in every aspect possible. We travel to work with the uses of technology, make phone calls, brighten our homes, I'm even using technology to post this blog. The ways in which we use technology is endless as it is essential to our daily lives. It is fascinating to look into the past to see how far we have grown industrially. Many of the simple pleasures that we take for granted started from the literal bottom and was built from the ground up with new findings and inventions. Some inventions even led to the creation of other inventions. It was very interesting to in sense travel back in time to rediscover technology from the past and break it down into what we know and are familiar with today. As somebody who pays for Spotify premium, listens to music every day, and owns many records, I believed it was so fitting for me to look into the journey of the Phonograph.

The Phonograph:

    The Phonograph was created in 1877 by Thomas Edison. He did this with the use of the tinfoil cylinder, the main component in the creation of the telephone, a separate invention that he was working on. He learned that with the use of two diaphragms and needle units, he could create a record and playback effect based on the vibrations and indents that the needle left on the tinfoil diaphragm. While the tinfoil cylinder worked great, it was later switched over to a wax cylinder model in 1886 in the graphophone to create a more steady sound. This is where competition between inventors arises. Creator Emile Berliner comes up with what was known as the Gramophone in 1887. This bringing about lateral recording which was taken part by the North American Phonograph Company in 1888. This coming to an end in 1894 because the product had been introduced to the wrong crowd. The North American Phonograph Company tried to sell the product to businesses for recording and documentation purposes, however, that plan fell flat as big companies saw no place for such technology in their offices. It wasn't until the Colombia Phonograph Company took over and directed the product towards entertainment purposes when phonographs were being sold consistently. With this change came the introduction of the flat disc recording. 

    The social world was changed for the better in 1894. This being due to Spring Motor Phonograph taking the initiative to put the product on the shelves. It would now be sold as a consumer good and known as a household must-have. Eldridge John and the Victor Talking Machine saw an opportunity in 1901and ran with it. They took to themselves to make a more user-friendly design that was more aesthetically pleasing and functional. Thus leading to the electronic version of recording in 1925 turning into a company that we know today as Victrola.

Radio:

    One of my classmates did extensive research on the radio that I found to be very interesting. It was invented in Guglielmo Marconi in 1894. He invented this sound communication by the use of radio waves and receivers while he was a student at Livorno technical institute. The radio was interestingly enough used as battlefield communication in World War I. It was then established for advertisement purposes. The radio was a great source for comedy, news, music, sports, and much more.

Sources:

https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-sound-recordings/history-of-the-cylinder-phonograph

https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/history/timeline/