Western Union demonstrates phonograph in Seattle in 1878.

  • By Greg Lange
  • Posted 11/06/1998
  • HistoryLink.org Essay 245
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During 1878, Western Union Telegraph Company demonstrates a phonograph in Seattle. The firm charges 25 cents a listen.

Sources: Thomas Prosch, "A Chronological History of Seattle from 1850 to 1897" (typescript, dated 1900-1901, Special Collectios, University of Washington Library), 251. See Also: "The History of the Edison Cylinder Phonograph," in Inventing Entertainment: The Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies," A Library of Congress website (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edcyldr.html).

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