Whose Invention Was the Phonograph?

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, making the first successful recording and playback of sound. His device used a tinfoil-covered cylinder that a needle would indent while someone spoke into a horn. The first words Edison recorded were "Mary had a little lamb." The invention astonished the public and earned Edison the nickname "The Wizard of Menlo Park." Emile Berliner later developed the gramophone (1887) using flat discs instead of cylinders, which became the standard format and evolved into vinyl records.