Thomas Edison announced the phonograph after successfully recording and reproducing sound in 1877.
The phonograph used a stylus that traced sound vibrations onto a rotating cylinder covered with tin foil. When the recording was played back, the stylus followed the recorded groove and reproduced the vibrations as audible sound. Edison’s first recorded words are traditionally identified as “Mary had a little lamb.”
Earlier devices could transmit sound, but Edison’s machine was significant because it both recorded and reproduced it. The invention quickly attracted public attention and helped establish Edison’s reputation as a major inventor. Early recordings were fragile and wore out quickly, limiting practical use.
The phonograph later evolved through wax cylinders and disc records. It also influenced the development of recorded music, dictation machines, and sound archives. A common mix-up is calling the device a gramophone: that term generally refers to later disc-playing technology, while Edison’s original 1877 machine recorded on a cylinder.