{"id":132,"date":"2019-10-28T18:45:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T18:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/?page_id=132"},"modified":"2019-12-03T01:15:01","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T01:15:01","slug":"antecedents","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/antecedents\/","title":{"rendered":"Antecedents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Claire Starke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ear<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"GenWorks.

GenWorks. \u201cWorld Hearing Day | Ear Health: Top 10 Things to Know,\u201d March 4, 2017.
http:\/\/www.genworkshealth.com\/world-hearing-day-ear-health-top-10-things-know\/<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the simplest antecedents of headphones was ears.  The purpose of headphones is to listen, whether it be to listen to \u201ca computer, laptop, smartphone, mp3 player or other device to privately listen to audio\u201d [1].  Ears are obviously made for listening, but headphones are what made listening into a private activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tin Can Telephone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fine

Fine Art America. \u201cTin Can Telephone, 19th Century by Science Source.\u201d Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/fineartamerica.com\/featured\/tin-can-telephone-19th-century-science-source.html<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Before telephones were invented, there was a conversation about talking in distance without yelling to hear each other.  The tin-can telephone sparked the idea for the electric phone with wires instead of string. The basic science, when someone talks into the tin can their voice sends vibrations into the can, which then sends the vibrations down the taut string connected to the other person\u2019s can.  \u201cThese vibrations were transferred to the string and then into the bottom of your partner’s cup, which made the air inside of his or her cup vibrate and become detectable sound\u201d [2].  This simple design became the idea behind the telephone and personal conversations. It is an antecedent because it’s a type of listening device that started the basic knowledge of how sound travels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Telephone <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia Britannica. \u201cTelephone | History, Definition, & Uses.\u201d Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/telephone<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The telephone revolutionized talking and listening between far and near.  It is an antecedent of headphones because it has a listening component just like headphone do.  The telephone also added a privacy feature that people liked, they were able to talk to family or friends and it just is a conversation heard between the two people talking.  Later developments of telephones came with heavier challenges, telephone operators had to deal with a ~10-pound earpiece that rested on their shoulders [3].  This clearly made inventors start thinking about inventions to ease the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ernest Mercadier\u2019s Earbuds <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stamp,



Stamp, Jimmy. \u201cA Partial History of Headphones.\u201d Smithsonian. Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/arts-culture\/a-partial-history-of-headphones-4693742\/<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The first earbuds were not invented for private entertainment but were used to help the operators and get rid of all the extra weight.  This also freed their hands so they would be able to better do their jobs.  It also improved telephone receivers so that the operator could move around while using them.  These were also used for radio communication [4].  They were not used for entertainment and music purposes at this point in time.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electrophone <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stamp,

Stamp, Jimmy. \u201cA Partial History of Headphones.\u201d Smithsonian. Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/arts-culture\/a-partial-history-of-headphones-4693742\/<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Electrophone is one of the first inventions that most reflects the modern design of headphones.\u00a0 It is a British invention that \u201ccreated a system allowing their customers to connect into live feeds of performances at theaters and opera houses across London\u201d [4].\u00a0 It was the first invention that was intended for music and entertainment but they were extremely expensive so were not as popular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Stethoscope <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fine
Fine Art America. \u201c1882 Stethoscope Patent Art William Ford 3 by Nishanth Gopinathan.\u201d Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/fineartamerica.com\/featured\/1882-stethoscope-patent-art-william-ford-3-nishanth-gopinathan.html<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After the first earbuds and Stereophone found their shape, other listening devices were starting to be modeled after these.  The stethoscope was made to listen internally but has the same listen science as headphones do.  The stethoscope is an antecedent of headphones because they are made for listening and almost model Mercadier\u2019s Earbuds and the Stereophone exactly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phonograph\/ Gramophone <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Thingiverse.com.
Thingiverse.com. \u201cEdison\u2019s First Phonograph by Ice876.\u201d Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/www.thingiverse.com\/thing:554508<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The phonograph is an antecedent because it is the first loudspeaker made.  Headphones have a speaker but it\u2019s in the internal structure of the earpieces.  Phonographs are a device used for listening just like headphones.  Edison told a newspaper the possible uses that the phonograph could have, included \u201cReproduction of music, Music-boxes and toys, Phonographic books, which will speak to blind people without effort on their part\u201d and many other uses [5].  It made music more popular and devices like these more sought after, it almost paved the way for headphones to come in and storm the market.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microphone <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\u201cMicrophones.\u201d
\u201cMicrophones.\u201d Accessed October 28, 2019.
 https:\/\/edisontechcenter.org\/microphones.html<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The microphone is a huge antecedent for headphones because without microphones then there would be no need to have any listening technology because it would not be recorded or transmitted.  There would be no need purpose for headphones, other than to block out noise like earplugs.  Microphones started radio broadcasting with a ribbon microphone [6].  Headphones were and always be dependent on microphones.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Pair of Headphones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\u201cHeadphones.\u201d In Wikipedia<\/em>, November 23, 2019. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Headphones&oldid=927645560. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These early ideas and inventions gave birth to the early models of what we know today as functional headphones. The first pair of headphones were made in 1910, by Nathaniel Balwin. Balwin created his product in the kitchen of his Utah home. They were initially dismissed by skeptical private investors; however, they were quickly picked up by Lt. Comdr. A. J. Hepburn and put into use for the United States Navy [7]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] Techopedia.com. \u201cWhat Are Headphones? \u2013 Definition from Techopedia.\u201d Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/7551\/headphones<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Harmon, Katherine. \u201cTalk through a String Telephone.\u201d Scientific American. Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/talk-through-a-string-telephone-bring-science-home\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] \u201cThe History of Headphones.\u201d Cool Material, July 5, 2016. https:\/\/coolmaterial.com\/roundup\/history-of-headphones\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] Stamp, Jimmy. \u201cA Partial History of Headphones.\u201d Smithsonian. Accessed September 25, 2019. https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/arts-culture\/a-partial-history-of-headphones-4693742\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. \u201cHistory of the Cylinder Phonograph.\u201d Web page. Accessed October 28, 2019. https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/collections\/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings\/articles-and-essays\/history-of-edison-sound-recordings\/history-of-the-cylinder-phonograph\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6] Bellis, Mary. \u201cThe Evolution of the Microphone.\u201d ThoughtCo, March 2015. https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/history-of-microphones-1992144<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7] Berkman, Fran. \u201cListen Up: Here\u2019s a Brief History of Headphones.\u201d Mashable. Accessed November 18, 2019. https:\/\/mashable.com\/2012\/09\/26\/headphones\/<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Claire Starke Ear One of the simplest antecedents of headphones was ears.  The purpose of headphones is to listen, whether it be to listen to \u201ca computer, laptop, smartphone, mp3 player or other device to privately listen to audio\u201d [1].  Ears are obviously made for listening, but headphones are what made listening into a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-132","page","type-page","status-publish","czr-hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":281,"href":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132\/revisions\/281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/historyoftech.mcclurken.org\/headphones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}