phonograph: Quick Facts

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Nov. 7, 2026

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Facts

Also Known As	record player

Photos and Videos

phonograph turntable

Thomas Edison's phonograph of 1877

45-RPM record player

stereophonic high-fidelity record player

model of Thomas Edison's phonograph

Illustration of the 1877 Edison phonograph showing a tinfoil-covered cylinder mounted on a base, with labeled parts including a hand crank, recording needle, recording and reproducer sound boxes, and diaphragms for sound vibration.

The role of chemistry in Thomas Edison's inventions

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Topics

Today in History—December 24: Before Spotify, There Was Tinfoil jukebox gramophone stylus phonograph record Graphophone Victrola turntable Red Seal LP record iPod tape recorder voice mail music recording Auto-Tune amplifier digital sound recording microphone loudspeaker stereophonic sound system

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

sound recording: The phonograph disc

Key People

Watch a silent short of Thomas Edison, who invented the phonograph and incandescent electric light

Thomas Edison

American inventor

Portrait of Alexander Graham Bell with white hair and beard, wearing a suit and patterned tie, looking directly at the camera.

Alexander Graham Bell

British-American inventor

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Charles Cros

French inventor and poet

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Charles Sumner Tainter

American inventor

Alberto Santos-Dumont. Postcard of Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont's (1873-1932) airship or dirigible and Eiffel Tower. The Santos Dumont Air-Ship rounding the Eiffel Tower; on Octoboer 19th 1901. airplane

A History of Everyday Technology in 68 Quiz Questions