Sunday, June 21, 2009

How Microphones Evolved


A microphone is a device used for converting acoustic power into electrical power that has similar wave characteristics. Microphones took sound waves and transformed them into electrical voltages and than switched them back again into sound waves thru speakers.
The first person to “Coin” the phrase microphone was Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1827, he was a British scientist and inventor who paved the way for others to take his initial invention and push it forward to what we use in today’s age. In 1876 Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter. She saw the invention of the telephone and decided that she would find a way to improve it. Eventually a representative from the telephone company saw her invention and bought her patent for fifty thousand dollars. Another inventor, David Edward Hughes, invented the carbon microphone in 1878 and eventually it was developed in the 1920’s. His microphone is the model for what we now use today as carbon microphones. Eventually the ribbon microphone was invented in 1942 with the development of radio broadcasting and it was an essential tool for radio companies throughout the world.
As you can see the microphone itself helped with other inventions like the telephone, radio, and etc. to what is now used today throughout the world in assisting communication.

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