On This Day

Thomas Edison enters the offices of Scientific American and turns the crank on his cylinder phonograph, astonishing thos

Thomas Edison enters the offices of Scientific American and turns the crank on his cylinder phonograph, astonishing those present by having it say, "Good morning. How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?" [1]

Thomas Edison enters the offices of Scientific American and turns the crank on his cylinder phonograph, astonishing those present by having it say, "Good morning. How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?" [1]

Key People

Thomas Edison

inventor and businessman

American inventor and businessman

Events Before

  1. The Reichsbank, the central bank of the German Empire, opens in Berlin

    The Reichsbank, the central bank of the German Empire, opens in Berlin

  2. Albert Spalding invests $800 to start a sporting goods company, manufacturing the first official baseball, tennis ball,

    Albert Spalding invests $800 to start a sporting goods company, manufacturing the first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football

  3. Julius Wolff opens the Wolff & Reesing Cannery, the first US sardine factory, in Eastport, Maine

    Julius Wolff opens the Wolff & Reesing Cannery, the first US sardine factory, in Eastport, Maine

  4. Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray apply separately for telephone patents, the Supreme Court eventually rules Bell th

    Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray apply separately for telephone patents, the Supreme Court eventually rules Bell the rightful inventor

  5. Sardines first canned by Julius Wolff in Eastport, Maine

    Sardines first canned by Julius Wolff in Eastport, Maine

Events After

  1. First US bicycle club, the Boston Bicycle Club, forms

    The Capital Bicycle Club was an early American cycling club based in Washington, D.C.

  2. Thomas Edison is granted a patent for his cylinder phonograph [1]

    A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound.

  3. 53rd UK Prime Minister Archibald Primrose (31) weds heiress Hannah de Rothschild (27) at the Board of Guardians in Mount

    53rd UK Prime Minister Archibald Primrose (31) weds heiress Hannah de Rothschild (27) at the Board of Guardians in Mount Street, London

  4. W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's comic opera "H.M.S. Pinafore" premieres in London, their first international success

    H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert.

  5. Congress of Berlin begins, determines the territories of the states in the Balkan peninsula following the Russo-Turkish

    Congress of Berlin begins, determines the territories of the states in the Balkan peninsula following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78

More from the 1870s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 6, 1877?
Thomas Edison enters the offices of Scientific American and turns the crank on his cylinder phonograph, astonishing those present by having it say, "Good morning. How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?" [1]
Why is Thomas Edison enters the offices of Scientific American and turns the crank o... historically important?
How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?" [1]
Who was involved in Thomas Edison enters the offices of Scientific American and turns the crank o...?
Key figures include Thomas Edison (inventor and businessman).

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