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First phonograph
Thomas Edison became the first person to ever record and play back the human voice. -
First Gramaphone
A German immigrant by the name of Emile Berliner, settled in the city of Washington, D.C. and also took an interest in recording technology. In 1888 he filed and patented a talking machine which also recorded and played back sound. It was called the Gramaphone. -
First ediphone
The Ediphone and subsequent wax cylinders used in Edison's other product lines continued to be sold up until 1929 when the Edison Company Folded. -
The Tefifion
The first demonstration of the Tefifon technology was in 1936 at the "Radioexposition" in Berlin, Germany, the brainchild of Karl Daniel. The Tefifon was a belt recorder, somewhat similar to the Sonaband Recordall that came out much later in 1957. -
The Audograph was invented!
Introduced in 1945 by the Gray Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut, the Audograph used technology similar to the Soundscriber and Dictabelt, in that the modulated grooves were embossed onto soft vinyl. -
First Wire-recorders
Up until even the late 1960's or so, most electronic stores (Radio Shack's & even the local corner drugstore) had tube testers on their premises - most of which you could use yourself.