Dictaphone, type A

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Dictaphone, type A
Manufacturer	Dictaphone Co
Production years	c. 1924
Production location	(unknown)

The cylinder phonograph was first marketed as an office dictation machine in 1889 but after 1895 was developed primarily for entertainment. Specially designed business phonographs reappeared in 1906 and in 1908 the Dictaphone Co was reorganized as a subsidiary of the Columbia Graphophone Co to manufacture these instruments. The cylinder phonograph survived in this form long after it had ceased to be used for entertainment.

This machine was used to record the message. A separate transcribing machine, type B, was used to play over the record when it was being typed.

[edit] How it works

The famous phonograph was the first device for recording and replaying sound. The term phonograph ("sound writer") is derived from the Greek words φωνή (meaning "sound" or "voice" and transliterated as phoné) and γραφή (meaning "writing" and transliterated as graphé). A needle attached to a moving diaphram carves a groove in a wax cylinder. When the cylinder is played on the playback machine the sound is reproduced by the movement of the needle on the diaphram in reponse to the undulations of the groove.

[edit] Memories

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[edit] In the Science Museum's Records

Inv. No: 1962-139 Source: D PLaskett Marshall