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In the United States, Samuel Morse begins his first telegraph line. The wires run 39 miles from Baltimore, MD to Washington, D.C. The first message sent by Morse is: "What hath God wrought?"
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The New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company is founded in Rochester, New York, which will become Western Union -- this major message service also offered delivery of Telegrams.
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The New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company acquires several competing companies and changes its name to Western Union; its service of delivering Telegrams will continue until January 27, 2006 -- 150 years after the name change.
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Western Union completes the first transcontinental telegraph line -- providing fast, coast-to-coast communications during the U.S. Civil War.
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Christopher Latham Sholes of Danville, PA and his colleagues, Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soulé developed the first practical typewriter (and the QWERTY keyword.)
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The Remington Arms company signs a deal to market Sholes' Typewriter under their name; later they merge with the Rand company to form Remington-Rand.
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Alexander Graham Bell issued a patent for the Telephone on March 7th. By the early 1800's many experimental uses were attempted for this invention including what was later called "Audio Theatre" -- plays and readings performed over the telephone.
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Edison invents the cylinder "phonograph" used to record and playback sound. Originallyvthought to be useful as a business machine for dictation (like the dictaphone which would come later.) Other uses: recordings of plays pre-dating Radio Drama nearly 50 years.
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Emile Berliner invents the first microphone and sells the rights to Bell Telephone.
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Edison issued a patent for the electric incandescent light bulb; wires part of New York with DC current to power street lights and lights in wealthy homes.
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Emile Berliner invents the flat record player ("gramophone") using acoustic horn and licenses technology to record companies who make "70-rpm" disks.
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Danish inventor Valdemar Poulson invents magnetic wire sound recording.
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Louis Glass invents the modern jukebox (coin-operated phonograph) and installs it at the "Palais Royal" saloon in San Francisco where it is an immediate hit.
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The International copyright agreement is adopted between major countries.
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Popular music becomes a serious business; Music Publishers begin renting office space on 28th street in New York City, near vaudeville theatres in an area that would become known worldwide as "Tin Pan Alley."
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The first "million-seller" song hit (sold via sheet music) was "After The Ball" by Charles K. Harris, who was both its composer and publisher.
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The Lumiere Brothers use (piano) music with a motion picture program (of short subjects) for the first time at a Dec. 28th -screening at the Grand Café in Paris
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An orchestra is used with (silent) motion pictures for the first time in April in London
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Shellac gramophone disks developed by Emile Berliner - speeds will vary on discs issued by companies in different countries (80 rpm was used on some British recordings)
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British scientist Joseph John Thompson discovers the electron particle within cathode rays.
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Guglielmo Marconi is granted his first British patent for wireless telegraphy.