Thomas Edison's favorite invention was the phonograph. In 1877, he created a way to record sound on tinfoil cylinders by using two needles, one for recording and one for playback. The first words that Edison recorded were "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Ten years later, in 1887, Edison formed the Edison Phonograph Company to sell the phonograph to the public. This marked the beginning of the sound recording industry. The first records sold by the Edison and Columbia Phonograph Companies were on wax cylinders. These were brittle and broke easily. Columbia ceased production of wax cylinders in 1909 when discs became popular. The Edison National Phonograph Company continued making cylinders and discs until 1929. Cylinder records and other recordings made throughout the twentieth century are valuable primary resources.For the first time in political history, candidates in the 1908 presidential election (William Howard Taft, Republican and William Jennings Bryan, Democrat ) recorded speeches that were sold to the public. Many institutions such as the Smithsonian and Library of Congress are trying to preserve recordings such as these under a program called Saving America's Sounds. To learn more about Thomas Edison and listen to early recordings, visit the Websites listed at the bottom of the page.

Photo of Edison with cylinder phonograph in 1878

CREDIT: Edison, Thomas A.. "Edison with Cylinder Phonograph; Washington, DC; April 18, 1878." 1878. Photo courtesy of U. S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site.

Edison Talking Doll 1890

In 1890, Edison introduced the first talking doll that contained a six-second recording of a nursery rhyme. Children were expected to turn a tiny crank at a constant speed in order for the cylinder to play. Needless to say the doll was a failure and only available for a short period of time. To hear a recording and read more about the history of the Edison Talking Doll, visit these Websites.

1890 Edison Talking Doll

Listen to a description of the doll and one of the recordings at this museum exhibit.

Edison Talking Doll

View original illustrations of Edison's Talking Doll and the mechanism that was used to play the recordings.

Edison Talking Doll of 1890

Listen one of the spoken recordings from Edison's Talking Doll - Little Jack Horner in a variety of audio formats.

Listening Lesson

Describe what you hear in the recording by investigating its parts. For example: Is the recording musical or nonmusical? Are there any recognizable instruments? If so, identify them. Are the words sung or spoken? Is there any slang or dialect used in the recording? Is a story being told? If so, what is the story about?

Knowledge

What was happening in history during this time period? Did history or culture have any influence on the words or music?

Describe your personal feelings and what you think about the recording. Always base your subjective reaction on something that is heard. For example, "I heard ..., and it makes me feel or imagine ..."

Cylinder Record List

The cylinders were played on an Edison Standard Phonograph and recorded using a Macintosh iBook with iMovie. The QuickTime movie files were then converted to wav and mp3 files. These recordings are from the author's collection.

Websites for Learning and Listening

Edison Sound Recordings at the Library of Congress

This site features 81 disc sound recordings, and other related materials, such as photographs and original magazine articles. In addition, histories are given of Edison's involvement with sound recordings, as well as a special page focusing on the life of the great inventor.

Edison National Historic Site

The archive at Edison National Historic Site includes approximately 48,000 disc and cylinder records produced by Edison in West Orange, New Jersey, between 1888 and 1929. Many of these, including unreleased and experimental recordings, have been at the Laboratory since Edison's lifetime. Ranging back to the first years of the invention and development of the phonograph, some of the earliest examples of recorded sound in existence are preserved within this unique collection. This site contains a compilation of selected recordings arranged by genre such as comedy sketches, documentary and political speeches, and popular songs.