The beginning of recorded sound was Thomas Edison inventing the phonograph, where sound could be recorded and the first words that were recorded were Mary had a little lamb (Whetmore, 154). A tin cylinder was used to hold the recordings (Whetmore, 154). But the cylinder was not good because it was not able to be mass produced. The phonograph was a huge success though expensive and families started to buy them up ( Whetmore, 154-155). Berliner was the one who invented the disc to replace the cylinder. In 1902, Enrico Caruso, a famous opera singer, allowed his performances to be recorded (Whetmore, 155) and this legitimized the phonograph. In 1925, recording switched from acoustic to electric, thanks to Alexander Graham Bell, this was another milestone in the history of recorded sound. …show more content…
They were not the best though because if they were dropped, they would break easily. The Depression in the 1930s took a toll on record sales, it dropped drastically and it was assumed that the days of records were over ( Whetmore, 156) Also this was the golden age of radio, so many people were tuning into that ( Whetmore, 156). When Sinatra became popular in the 1940s, this made records popular again because many people wanted to hear him sing but they could not afford the tickets (Whetmore, 156).So people began to purchase records again(Whetmore, 156) so they could listen to him in their homes. When the song Rock Around the Clock was introduced in the 1950s (Whetmore, 159) it was another milestone in the history of recorded sound. This song signaled the end of the 78s and introduced the 45s. The 45s were not as fragile as the 78s so this was a major improvement (Whetmore,