Posted on 07/17/2011 6:25:08 AM PDT by SanFranDan
FULL TITLE: Voice of Thomas Edison's talking doll is heard again after 123 years as scientists crack the code of mysterious metal ring
For decades it lay in the bottom of a secretary's desk drawer, its purpose unknown.
But now, 123 year after it was made, the secret of this bent metal ring, which was found in Thomas Edison's laboratory, has finally been uncovered.
Scientists have found that the microscopic grooves on the ring make up the tune of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' and mark the world's first attempt at a talking doll and the dawn of America's recording industry
Using advanced imaging technology they have recovered a 12 second sound recording of woman reciting a verse of the children's song.
They believe the tin ring was intended to be the key component of one of Thomas Edison's talking dolls. Historians think Edison hired the woman to make the recording less than two years before he unsuccessfully put the first talking doll on the market.
'Based on the date of fall 1888, it is the oldest American-made recording of a woman's voice that we can listen to today,' said Patrick Feaster, a historian at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Mr Feaster pored over historical documents and 19th-century newspaper reports to piece together the story behind the recording.
Edison hoped to mass-produce the toys, but the era's rudimentary technology meant that to make 100 dolls, Edison would have to get artists to recite the lullaby 100 times.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Digital copies in the MP3 format are already available and being widely distributed. Just kidding.
Interesting
Played backwards it says: “Incandescent light bulbs will warm the earth.”
“Be sure to drink your Ovaltine”
That is fascinating..
Possibly physically as well. I always suspected he was an animatron since that car crash back in 1967-68. "Paul is Dead, don't you know...
:)
Listened to it, and it is awesome. Sent email to my nephews!
Hahaha
Interesting.
After listening to it, though, I can understand why Edison’s talking dolls were a market flop.
“Twinkle, twinkle, light bulb czar - who the heck do you think you are? Up above the world so high, you must be Obama’s right hand guy.”
I thought it said “All hail Gore, all hail Satan” when played backwards.
Suzuki book 1 song 1
"My name is Taking Tina..."
Well, duh!
You tie the ring to the string on the back of the doll & then pull the ring & the doll says “Mama”. Everybody knows that!
I guess a box full of round sticks with square notches at both ends is a real puzzler, too. :)
Sounds aweful. Not worth listing to. Reminds me of my first wife yelling at me.
Wow, I hope all the women didn’t sound like that back then. It would go a long way toward explaining the Civil War. Maybe the guys were just trying to cook up an excuse to get away from their warbly, tinny-sounding women.
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