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Primary sources online from the Kansas Historical Society
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Phonograph
Thomas Edison patented his first phonograph machine on February 19, 1878 as US Patent 20,521. A phonograph, also called a gramophone or record player, is a mechanical device that reproduces sound recordings. This is an Edison Concert Phonograph by the Wittmann Company of Kansas City, Omaha, and Lincoln. Includes a large brass horn. The patent for this version dates from 1888 to 1898. This phonograph was won by William Pearson Wilson (1862-1938) in a raffle held by R.H. Morehouse's store in Topeka around 1901 to 1904. He had purchased the raffle ticket for about 39 cents when stopping in to have his watch checked. The Wilson family would often set up the phonograph on the porch of the family home so that the entire neighborhood could enjoy it, even taking requests by phone.
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