The invention of a tape recorder

If we consider the invention of a tape recorder, then it is worthwhile to tell the background of what was created before it. It is considered that the invention of the first apparatus, which recorded a sound, called a phonograph, is a merit of Thomas Edisson. However, in fact, the idea of a phonograph is completely the brainchild of Charles Crewe - a French poet and scientist. In 1977, he submitted a paper to the French Academy of Sciences, which described in detail everything that concerned this idea. This paper is now stored in this institution. And already in 1878 this idea was patented and implemented by Edison. In 1886, Mr. Chichister Bell and Charles Sumner Tanner from the United States began production of phonographs with manual winding and a cylinder coated with wax. In 1887 Emil Berliner in Germany was patented the idea of a modern turntable, in which flat plates were used. The idea is realized in 1896.

It's hard to believe, but the invention of a tape recorder falls on the same period as the invention of cinema. It appeared at the same time as the first cars. The working principle of modern tape recorders was first proposed by Woldemar Poulsen, who was an employee at a telephone exchange in Copenhagen. One of his direct responsibilities was to ensure the normal operation of the equipment at the station. And here it is not clear whether the equipment was so high-quality or he was such a good specialist, but he had a lot of free time. He gave it a variety of experiments with magnets, coils, wires and other details. His interest and curiosity were rewarded by the discovery that on a thin wire of steel, it is possible to magnetize different areas in different ways. If it is then quickly scrolled in front of an electromagnetic microphone, then you can hear the sound. This is how the invention of the tape recorder began. He began to develop his idea further, and then came to the conclusion that there is to stretch the wire in front of the microphone at the same time as when you speak it, then you can write on this string a human voice or some other sound that will be picked up by the microphone during recording . This idea turned out to be very promising also because the record can be erased, and a new one recorded on the string. To do this, you only need to demagnetize the string.

In 1898, the signalman was already hurrying to patent his device, called a telegraph, and a year later he was already awarded the Grand Prix at the World's Paris Exhibition. After a very short time, the invention was patented in other countries, and in 1903 the American Telegraph Company was already established, which mastered the production of dictaphones. The invention of the tape recorder has already become interesting to the public. However, the disadvantage of those devices was considered to be their cumbersomeness, since the tapes to which they were recorded were very large, and the sound quality was very different from phonographs and gramophones. This explains the company's short existence. However, only 10 years later, when much more powerful amplifiers were introduced to the world, the main shortcomings of tape recorders were eliminated, and the military was the first to appreciate the new capabilities of such devices. In the twenties, the American fleet used new devices for accelerated reception and transmission of radiotelephone messages. After that, tape recorders began to appear in Europe.

The next step was the invention of magnetic tape, which is what made it possible to create reel tape recorders. These devices became interesting to the general public only in the forties. This is due to the fact that cassette tape recorders have already appeared. After that, they began their triumphal march on the planet.