The Story of Communication:

Recording—Fascinating Facts

• The first words recorded were Thomas Edison reciting, “Mary had a little lamb.”
• Edison, the inventor of the phonograph, thought the public would not be interested in recorded music.
• The television network, CBS, began as a company doing recorded stenography.
• The first significant phonograph income came from nickel-in-the-slot and penny-in-the-slot “automatic parlors.”
• Nipper, the dog in the famous RCA ads, never heard a phonograph record. He died before the invention.
• Cows reportedly give more milk and chickens lay more eggs when soothed by music.
• During World War II, allied radio correspondents used wire recorders. Splicing was done by fusing wire ends with a lighted cigarette.
• When a Cleveland disc jockey saw teenagers dancing to “rhythm ‘n’ blues” music, he renamed it “rock ‘n’ roll.”
• The recording, “We Are the World” sold 4 million copies in six weeks, raising $50 million to buy food and medicine for regions of East Africa.
• The business of movie videotape recordings began with the intention of selling them. The owner had not considered rental until the public demanded it.
• Jane Fonda's Workout was the first success-ful how-to videotape.
• After the taping of the Rodney King beating led to riots, the term “visualanties” was coined to refer to amateurs who photograph such activity.
• Educators deplore the lack of student reading of books, but thousands of school libraries have been renamed “media centers.”
• The first video game to have strong appeal to women was Centipede. It was co-designed by Dona Bailey.
• Americans now spend more on electronic games than on movie tickets.

Resources for Recording

• Websites to Explore

• Timeline

• Sample Chapter (you must have Adobe Reader)

Writing | Printing | Mail | Telephone | RECORDING | Photography |
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