When Was Record Player Invented?

No, it wasn’t, but several attempts were made to make a record player.

The first attempt was made in 1884 by the British engineer William Henry Preece and his assistant John Ambrose Fleming. They created an electric motor with a turntable attached to it. This device was called the “Preece-Fleming Phonograph.” It was not successful because of its size and weight.

In 1886, Thomas Edison patented the phonograph using a needle instead of a stylus. He also developed the carbon microphone which he used for recording sound on wax cylinders. His invention was never commercially successful.
In 1888, Emile Berliner built the first practical gramophone based on Edison’s design. It had a horn shaped like a trumpet and a needle inside the horn. A small disc of wax was placed between the needle and the horn.

A punched card tabulating machine was invented by Herman Hollerith in 1890. These are still used for data entry today.

In 1893, George Gray invented the cylinder reproducer or “Grayphone” which was a combination of a phonograph and a typewriter. Unfortunately, this machine did not work well enough to be commercialized.

In 1896, Edward Eliscu, who later became famous as the inventor of the Eliscu Bell, invented the first automatic turntable.

FAQs on when was Record Player Invented?

1. What year was the record player invented?

Record players have been around since the early 1900s. In 1884, William Henry Preece (1851 – 1929) and John Ambrose Fleming (1852 – 1938) invented the phonograph.

2. Who invented the record player?

In 1896, Edward L. Eliscu (1864 – 1939) invented the automatic turntable. He later went on to invent the Eliscu Bell which is a telephone bell that rings at the same time every day, even if you don’t pick up the phone.

3. Was the record player invented before or after 1900?

Yes, record players have been around since 1884. However, they weren’t very popular until the 1920s.

4. How many people worked on the record player?

There were about 20 people working on record players in the 1880s. By the 1930s, there were over 100 people working on record players.

5. Where was the record player invented? Was it invented in one place or more than one place?

English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Australian and New Zealand invented record players.

6. Why didn’t the record player become popular earlier?

People thought that the sound quality of record players was poor compared to other devices such as radios, phonographs and tape recorders. Also, the cost of record players was high.

7. How many patents related to records are there in the United States?

The United States holds the most number of patents in this field.

8. Is the record player invented by any women?

No, but we do know that women played a big role in making record players popular. Women wanted to listen to music while doing housework. They would use record players to play their favorite songs.

9. Did anyone ever invent a record player before Eliscu?

No, but some people tried to make record players before Eliscu. One example is the Grayphone.

10. Do you know another name for a record player?

Yes, it is called an audio playback device.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed learning about the history of the record player.