Echoes of the Past

In 1857 a French bookseller named Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville developed the first sound recording device, the "Phonautograph." It recorded sound waves on a paper cylinder covered with lampblack. The device worked fine except for one small flaw.

There was no way to play back the recorded sounds.

Well, now there is. A group called the First Sounds Initiative have recovered the sound from one of de Martinville's recordings made in 1860. Click here to listen to the song "Au Clair de la Lune" recorded 148 years ago.

So the next time some audiophile starts going on about formats, just give a superior sniff and say "Vinyl? Well, if you must have the latest toys I suppose so. I'll stick with lampblack, thank you."