Thomas Edison completed his first working model of the phonograph on August 12, 1877. He debuted the invention later that year and amazed the public with his simple demonstration of how to capture the human voice. | American Experience | PBS

1914 Edison Phonograph. This was an amazing invention in its day with no electricity or batteries needed. It was like magic to them on how music sound was transfered onto a record that could be played over and over again. After 110 years it still plays and sounds amazing. In 1914 this model cost about $285 to purchase new. But in today's money that would have been around $6000. So it was definitely a luxury back then. #oldtime #TimelessMusic @ #oldtimemusic #nostalgicvibes #themerchantgeneralsto

The Edison Talking Doll, launched in 1889, was an ambitious failure. Each 22-inch doll featured a porcelain head and a miniature phonograph that played a 20-second nursery rhyme on a delicate wax cylinder. The recordings, made by young women, were often described as indistinct and eerie. This unsettling audio, combined with a high price of up to $20 (over $600 today) and frequent mechanical issues, led to a disastrous market reception. Within weeks of their debut, the dolls were withdrawn from s