The first popular sound recordings were produced on wax cylinders. Thomas Edison is credited with inventing cylinders and their players in 1877 and began selling them across America the following year. Edison suggested this could be used for recording books for blind people, letter dictation, and music boxes and toys.
How you play, an Edison Tube is similar to how you would play a record player. You would take the tube out of the case, raise the needle of the player, and slide the tube onto the player.
The sound that is recorded on the tube can be heard by having the needle read the ridges on the tube.
Check out some of the cool aspects of the Edison Standard Phonograph!
