The Machine That Became an Industry

Name: The Machine That Became an Industry
Genre: Documentary

Edison’s organization surrounds the phonograph with records, equipment, and factories until recorded sound becomes a business.

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Transcript

The phonograph became an industry only after Edison built an entire system around it.
In 1876, Edison moved his family and assistants to Menlo Park.
Menlo Park’s first major invention was the tin-foil phonograph, announced in November 1877.
It was the first machine to record and reproduce sound, earning Edison international fame.
By 1887, the new West Orange complex held machines, rooms, stock, and a large library.
Inside, Edison’s factory workers kept the process moving: Send the next cylinder to recording.
The operation developed records, recording equipment, and the machinery needed to manufacture the complete system.
West Orange let Edison work on as many as 10 or 20 projects at once.
Edison applied mass production and large-scale teamwork to invention.
Factories could now produce phonographs, records, and recording equipment at scale.
The complex eventually covered more than 20 acres, reaching 10,000 workers during World War One.
I never quit until I get what I’m after.
The system let recorded performances reach listeners beyond the original event.
Edison began working on motion pictures as a device for the eye.

After teaching machines to preserve sound, Edison’s laboratory turned toward an even stranger prize: capturing motion itself.

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