Buzz Brings in Antique Phonograph for Vinyl Records Day

Today IS Vinyl Records Day! It's to commemorate the very first record player which was made by Thomas Edison on this date way back in 1877. And, before you ask, no -- I don't know if he stole the idea from Nikola Tesla, so it's safe to assume he did. Also, "vinyl" is kind of an anachronistic appellation as a tribute to Edison. The very earliest recording were pressed onto tin foil and, later, wax. Vinyl records didn't come along until the 1940s.

I happen to own one of Mr. Edison's very early model phonographs. It isn't one of the very first models, but I've dated it to no later than the mid-1880s. To put a little perspective on it, this device could have been listened to by people as they read about the latest news of Jack the Ripper in a penny dreadful. Another way to think of it: this machine came out the same year that some people who were born into slavery were just turning old enough to get their driver's licenses ... for cars that wouldn't be invented for another five years.

Before you watch this video, just be aware that these recordings were from a time when casual racism was just a given. They would never have allowed a mild swear word like "hell" or "damn" to be pressed on to wax, but vile racial slurs were very commonplace.