Quiz #5
Pop quiz, y’all. What was the first thing that was ever recorded in audio? Since we’re all music fans here, then it’s good to know a little history. Was the first line:
a) “Oh, Romeo. Oh, Romeo. Where for art thou, Romeo?”
b) “Mary Had a Little Lamb … whose fleece was white as snow.”
c) “There here, I tell you … the aliens! They’re here!”
Well, if you guessed option (b), then you are correct … and you get five points. When Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, he immediately gained worldwide fame. And the first words he spoke into his new recording machine were “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The same lyrics of the song we just played. (We’re making history, people!)
Edison’s new invention was so unexpected to the public that it seemed almost magical. In fact, he even became known as “The Wizard of Menlo Park” (which was the name of the town he lived in). His first phonograph machine recorded on tinfoil wrapped around a grooved cylinder. And to be honest, the sound quality was pretty bad. But hey, it was radically new technology at the time … so it blew people’s minds away.
Along with the phonograph, Thomas Edison also invented some really strange stuff. Like the motion-picture camera, the light bulb, and even the microphone. In other words, he was a smart dude. In fact, I’d even say he was one of the best. Because his work changed the world … and it made modern music possible.
I mean, think about … without Edison, we wouldn’t have music videos, stage lighting, stereos, or microphones. And that’s why he definitely ranks right up there with the greatest gods of music.
