• Home
• Support Us
• Download
• About
  • Mission
  • Board
  • Links
  • Magnetic Sound Recording
  • Press
  • Contributors
• >Projects
  • Education
  • Facility
  • Preservation
    • Stories
    • Archives
  • Research
  • 1st Recording
• Collection
  • Acoustic
  • Cassette
  • Magnetic Film
  • Microphones
  • Multi-Track
  • Reel 2 Reel
  • Unique
  • Wire
  • Reel2ReelTexas
• History
  • Beginnings
  • R2R Stars
  • Ads Catalogs
  • Impact
  • Manufacturers
  • No Sound
• Contact

Recording History

Time Line  1860 to 1959

News coverage #1 • News coverage #2  • News coverage #3  • view trailer of the 7 hour collection

The Vintage DVD set is not currently available. The entire 7 hour production is downloadable for $9.95 at this link.

---

Go to 1960 to 1979   •   Go to 1980 to present

Clicking on the red ADS for selected years in the chart below will take you to a slide show of ads for that year.   SPECIAL NOTE:  Please be aware the HTML5 slideshow will play on Mac OSX, MS Vista, Win7 & Win8.  Unfortunately, it will not play on WinXP.  To view the ads on Win XP you can go to this link.

Ads by Year  1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 to Present Misc Pre 1946

Year	Cylinder/Disc	Reel to reel	Reel to reel	Mikes, Mixers,   Headphones	History	History
1860	earliest audible record of recognizable human speech				Lincoln nominated as US President
1865	BASF Founded				Lincoln assassinated	US Civil War ends
1867	AGFA founded					Alaska purchased from Russia
1877	Edison Cylinder Phonograph Invented	records "Mary had a little lamb"			Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes sent troops in violent national railroad strike.	Sitting Bull took his people into Canada as a sanctuary against an American reprisal on Little Bighorn
1878	Recording process described by Oberlin Smith	The first music is put on record: cornetist Jules Levy plays "Yankee Doodle."			2nd Afghan war between Britain & Russia
1883	AEG Founded				The Orient-Express began running between Paris and Constantinople	The Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, opened this year
1887	Emile Berliner is granted a patent on a flat-disc gramophone, making the production of multiple copies practical.				First American Golf Club
1888	Edison introduces an electric motor-driven phonograph				National Geographic Society founded	George Eastman introduces the Kodak No 1, a simple and inexpensive Box Camera
1891	Phillips Electronics founded Alexander graham Bell demonstrates a stereo telephone transmission in Paris				Pres. James A. Garfield shot in Washington, DC, July 2; died Sept. 19.
1894	Stromberg-Carlson
1895					Marconi achieves wireless radio transmission from Italy to America.
1896					John Philip Sousa composed “Stars and Stripes Forever” on Dec. 25.
1897					First Klondike gold arrived in San Francisco July 14
1898		The magnetic recording was demonstrated in principle as early as 1898 by Valdemar Poulsen in his Telegraphone.	1898 in Denmark, when Valdemar Poulsen developed a device to record sound on a steel wire.		U.S. battleship Maine blown up Feb. 15 at Havana; 260 killed.
1899	Wollensak began First multi-track? The Columbia Phonograph Company  sells a 3 horned cylinder phonograph using 3 separate tracks on the cylinder for $1,000				Pianist Scott Joplin's “Maple Leaf Rag” was published, popularizing ragtime.
1900 Go to ads					Eastman Kodak Co. introduced the Brownie camera, popularizing picture-taking.	Poulsen's of the Telegraphone at the Paris International Exhibition of 1900.
1901	The Victor Talking Machine Company is founded by Emile Berliner and Eldridge Johnson				Texas had first significant oil strike, Jan. 10.
1902					Pres. McKinley was shot Sept. 6 Helen Keller autobiography appeared in serial form.
1903					Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Co., June 16 1st successful flight in heavier-than-air mechanically propelled airplane by Orville Wright	American Telegraphone Company formed in Washington, D.C.
1904	Edison cylinder player				St. Louis hosted first Olympics in U.S., July 1-Nov. 23
1905
1906	Victor Talking Machine Company				San Francisco earthquake and fire, Apr. 18-19	Lee DeForest invents the triode vacuum tube, the first electronic signal amplifier.
1907	Bell & Howell incorporated				Financial panic and depression started Mar. 13.
1908 Go to ads	Edison ad				Henry Ford- Model T- $850
1909					Adm. Robert E. Peary claimed to have reached North Pole
1910						Enrico Caruso is heard in the first live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera, NYC
1911	New Edison Disc Phonograph				First transcontinental airplane flight
1912	In October 1912 the Edison Diamond Disc Record was introduced	Musical instruments were among the first trademarked products sold in the U.S. An industry dispute between the American Piano Company and Knabe & Sons helped create America’s Trademark Law in 1912. NAMM
1913					The first "talking movie" is demonstrated by Edison using his Kinetophone process, a cylinder player mechanically synchronized to a film projector. 16th Amendment, authorizing federal income tax, ratified Feb. 3.
1914					Panama Canal opened	First passenger on regular airline
1915	Presto Products Company founded (later became Presto Recording company in 1932)				British ship Lusitania sunk May 7 by German submarine First transcontinental telephone call Thomas Edison lobbied for folks to answer phone with "hello."  Alexander graham bell was lobbying for "Ahoy, Ahoy"
1916	Cylinder Changer Edison does live-versus-recorded demonstrations in Carnegie Hall, NYC				The Society of Motion Picture Engineers (SMPE) is formed. Gen. John J. Pershing entered Mexico to pursue Francisco (Pancho) Villa U.S. bought Virgin Islands from Denmark
1917	The Scully disk recording lathe is introduced.				First jazz releases on cylinder kept the format going for awhile longer   US declares war on Germany April 6th
1918		Matsushita Electric Devices Manufacturing Works (Panasonic Technics) established			More than 1 mil American troops were in Europe by July Influenza epidemic killed an estimated 20 mil worldwide
1919	Brush Development Company founded	RCA created 1919 to 1986			Garrard Engineering, a subsidiary of the British Crown jewelers, commenced manufacture of precision clockwork gramophone motors. First transatlantic flight
1920		By 1920 most American homes were electrified			First regular licensed radio broadcasting begun Aug. 20 19th Amendment ratified Aug. 18, giving women the vote
1921	AC bias				Joint congressional resolution declaring peace with Germany, Austria, and Hungary The first commercial AM radio broadcast is made by KDKA, Pittsburgh PA
1922					The first electrically recorded 78 rpm disks appear.
1923					record business became seriously depressed due to radio First sound-on-film motion picture, Phonofilm, shown at Rivoli Theater, New York City, beginning in April.
1924	Dr Kurt Stille (1873-1957) develops a dictation machine using similar principles to the Telegraphone, recording on steel wire. It is manufactured by Vox Gramophone Company.	First US Coast to Coast radio broadcast from Chicago to 4 million listeners			Law approved by Congress June 15 making all Native Americans U.S. citizens.	Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) changes its name to International Business Machines (IBM
1925	Rheem Manufacturing Company Roberts Recorders, Califone bought by Rheem in the 1960's. The first electrically recorded 78 rpm disks appear	Shure founded Bell Labs founded Bell Labs develops a moving armature lateral cutting system for electrical recording on disk. Concurrently they Introduce the Victor Orthophonic Victrola, "Credenza" model. This all-acoustic player -- with no electronics -- is considered a leap forward in phonograph design.			George Gershwin wrote Rhapsody in Blue.	wire recorder telephone answering/dictation machine called the Dailygraph Ford Motor Company bought out the Stout Aircraft Company and began construction of the all-metal Ford Trimotor, which became the first successful American airliner. RCA works on the development of ribbon microphones
1926					O'Neill patents iron oxide-coated paper tape. Congress established Army Air Corps July 2
1927	Dual turntables	Electro Voice founded	JVC founded		Capt. Charles A. Lindbergh left Roosevelt Field, NY, May 20 alone in plane Spirit of St. Louis on first New York-Paris nonstop flight. The Jazz Singer, with Al Jolson, demonstrated part-talking pictures in New York City Oct. 6.
1928	Magnetophon founded	Neumann founded Fritz Pfleumer magnetic tape	CBS founded		Amelia Earhart became first woman to fly across the Atlantic, June 17
1929	Akai founded	The "Blattnerphone" is developed for use as a magnetic recorder using steel tape	As the 1920s ended, “talkies” had put musicians out of work in the movie theaters, and the electric radio had dealt a deadly blow to the player piano industry. The final shock came in 1929 when the stock market crashed, pushing many in the music industry into ruin. NAMM		“St. Valentine's Day massacre” in Chicago Feb. 14; gangsters killed 7 rivals Stock market crash Oct. 29
Year	Cylinder/Disc	Reel to reel	Reel to reel	Mikes, Mixers,   Headphones	History	History
1930	Brush Development Company is making crystals for phonograph pickups				‘30s - ‘60s Scully dominated record lathe	Bell Telephone Laboratories initiates a major research effort in magnetic tape recording
1931	Marconi-Stille British Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company purchases the U.K. rights to the Stille patents	The Blattnerphone  another link YouTube BBCBlattnerphone Abbey Road Studios	Turner Microphones founded		Empire State Building opened	Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion
1932					Franklin D. Roosevelt elected president	19-month-old Charles Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped
1933	Marconi & BBC	Astatic incorporated Tandberg created			Magnetic recording on steel wire is developed commercially. All banks in the U.S. ordered closed Prohibition ended	Congress passed New Deal Tennessee Valley Authority Gold standard dropped by U.S.
1934		Toschreiber b introduced 1934-35 See Page 13 - also BASF 6.35mm plasticized-paper tape with iron-oxide coating. Also view YouTubeClips			Securities and Exchange Commission created	In 1934, a kid named Benny Goodman formed a band to bring “real jazz” back to the public. On the last set of a disappointing cross-country tour, a frustrated Goodman told his sidemen to let it “swing.” His audience at the Palomar Ballroom in Hollywood went wild, ushering in the swing era and big bands. Millions tuned in to chase away Depression-era blues. Names like Duke Ellington, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa became household words. Their fame encouraged thousands of young people to play an instrument.NAMM
1935	TDK Founded	Brush Development Corp created			The first Tape Recorder was shown off at the Radio Exhibition 1935 in Berlin. The "Magnetophon K 1" was made by AEG BASF prepares the first plastic-based magnetic tapes.	Boulder Dam (later renamed Hoover Dam) completed Social Security Act Huey Long shot
1936		Altec formed			BASF makes the first tape recording of a symphony concert during a visit by the touring London Philharmonic Orchestra. Sir Thomas Beecham conducts Mozart.	Margaret Mitchell published Gone With the Wind.
1937	Edison VoiceWriter Universal Professional Disc recorder	The Marconi-Stille		Astatic D-104 Brush BR25 Electro Voice 630, V-1, V-2 & V-3	Hindenburg exploded May 6 landing at Lakehurst, NJ. Golden Gate Bridge opened, May 27.	Amelia Earhart, aviator, and copilot Fred Noonan lost July 2 near Howland Island, in the Pacific.
1938	Presto Model "D" Universal Professional Disc recorder	Presto Pioneer founded		Bruno Velotron A Electro Voice 630, V-1, V-2 & V-3	Orson Welles radio dramatization of Martian invasion, War of the Worlds, Oct. 30, caused scare	Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in match race of the century, at Pimlico track, MD, Nov. 1.
1939	Brush Development Company develops steel tape and coated-paper tape recorders	Marvin Camras design for recording head		Shure 55 C	Independently, engineers in Germany, Japan and the U.S. discover and develop AC biasing for magnetic recording.	Albert Einstein alerted Pres. Roosevelt to A-bomb possibilities in Aug. 2 letter.
Year	Reel to reel	Reel to reel	Reel to reel	Mikes, Mixers,   Headphones	History	History
1940	Bruno Model "A" Presto "G,""J" & "Y" disc recorders Rek-O-Kut Speak-O-Phone			American D4-T Electro Voice 630, V-2 Electro Voice 640 Shure 55A,B &C Shure 55 C	U.S. okayed sale of surplus war materiel to Britain First peacetime military draft in U.S. history approved, Sept. 14.
1941				Shure 55 C	•  42 minutes on 1st tape (wire recorder used to copy phonographs) • Ampex Electric Company - Made electric motors for airplane radar systems Lend-Lease Act signed Mar. 11 provided $7 bil in military credits for Britain. Lend-Lease for USSR approved	Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 7:55 am Hawaiian time, Dec. 7; called by Roosevelt “a date that will live in infamy”; 19 ships sunk or damaged, 2,300 dead. U.S. declared war on Japan Dec. 8, on Germany and Italy Dec. 11.
1942	Knight radio recorders Presto "K" Rek-O-Kut recording units & motors Wilcox-Gay Recordio "Pro" Disc recorder			Electro Voice 630, 640, V-1, V-2 Shure 55A &C Shure 55 C Shure 556B	The first stereo tape recordings are made by Helmut Kruger at German Radio in Berlin.	Battle of Midway June 4-7 was Japan's first major defeat. U.S., Britain invaded North Africa Nov. 8. First nuclear chain reaction
1943				Shure 55 C Shure 556B	Oklahoma! opened Mar. 31 on Broadway. 937 Magnetophons sold by 1943-44	Race riot in Detroit June 21; 34 dead, 700 injured. Riot in Harlem section of New York City Aug. 2; 6 killed.
1944		AMPEX founded The name AMPEX consists Poniatoff's initials, with "EX" for "excellent" to form the unique name. more		Shure 55 C Shure 556B	• Tom Dowd - Worked on Manhattan project using wire recorders Musical instrument manufacturers mobilized for the war effort by applying their metal and woodworking abilities to the production of everything from precision altimeters to bomb casings and airplane wings. They were so successful that nearly half of the major makers received the official Army-Navy “E” for excellence.  NAMM	U.S., Allied forces invaded Europe at Normandy on “D Day,” June 6 Battle of the Bulge, failed Nazi counteroffensive
1945 ADS Click for  all ads prior to 1946		Sennheiser Brush BK-401 Rangertone Tape recorder Bill Mullin with US Army Signal Corps ships 2 German Magnetophons and 50 reels of tape back to US.  Pic #1  Pic #2  Pic #3  Pic #4 Pic #5		Shure 55 C Shure 556B Turner 211 Turner S33D	•  Ampex Military contracts •  Magnetaphon Germans    Empire State Building struck accidentally by Army B-25 bomber, July 28, killing 13.	Yalta Conference Marines landed on Iwo Jima Pres. Roosevelt died in Warm Springs, GA, Apr. 12 Germany surrendered May 7; May 8 proclaimed V-E Day. First atomic bombs Japan agreed to surrender Aug. 14
1946 ADS	First licensed wire recorders manufactured by Pentron, Pierce Wire Recorder Corporation, and others. The company that became Pierce Wire Recorder Corp. began as Radiotechnic Laboratories of Evanston, Illinois.	JBL created Sony established Magnecord Corporation Califone created	Brush Development Corp. builds a semiprofessional tape recorder as its Model BK401 Soundmirror. Ampex incorporated as Ampex Electric Corporation	Shure 55 C Shure 556B Turner S33D	• Bill Mullin demo in San Francisco for Crosby 3M introduces Scotch No. 100, a black oxide paper tape. •  Webster Chicago Wire recorder 180	baby boom began Philippines given independence Winston Churchill employed the phrase “iron curtain.”
1947 ADS		By the end of August 1947, the Ampex 200-A development was well under way. Brush Sound Mirror  ad Webster Wire 80 $149.50 3M Corp introduces a line of sound recording tapes International Radio and Electronics Corporation (CROWN)		Shure 51 Shure 556 $49.98	Bing Crosby uses Mullin's recorders to record radio show. Thanks to James Reed for clip & pics Ampex Model 200A audio recorder demonstrated at Radio Center, Hollywood, Calif • KVLF Radio Station created in Alpine, Texas	Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier Marshall Plan
Year	Reel to reel	Reel to reel	Reel to reel	Mikes, Mixers,   Headphones	History	History
1948 ADS	Sony Corporation begins its efforts to design a tape recorder Early Ampex ad	HeathKit created Studer/ReVox founded Webster Wire 78 $99.50 Webster Wire 80 $149.50 Model 83 Control Box $29.95	Magnecord introduces its PT-6, the first tape recorder in portable cases.	Electro Voice 950 Shure 51 Turner S33D	Bing Crosby with early Ampex 200s • Ampex # 1  2 - $4,000 stainless steel machined 14” reel, 30ips,   The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is formed in New York City.	Berlin Airlift Organization of American States founded Truman defeats Dewey
1949 ADS		Bell RecordOFone RT-65 $113 Pentron Astra Sonic  ad $149.50		Electro Voice 611 $19.11 Shure 51  ad $22.50 Shure 737 ad $20.87 Shure 55 ad $36.75 Shure 556 ad  $51.45 Turner S33D ad $15.88 Turner 22X  ad  $11.76	Ampex 300  Ampex introduces its Model 300 professional studio recorder.	NATO established Federal minimum wage raised from 40¢ an hour to 75¢ Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
1950 ADS	Concertone 401 $295 Edison Ediphone Magnecord PT63-A Magnecord PT-7 Webster Chicago 180	Bell RecordOFone RT-65 $113 Pentron Astra Sonic  ad $149.50		Shure 51 Turner S33D	• First Ampex 300 -  Sold several thousand - began using molded plastic, $2,000 Guitarist Les Paul modifies his Ampex 300 with an extra preview head for "Sound-on-Sound" overdubs.	Brink's robbed of $2.8 million North Korea invades South Korea US military advisers to South Vietnam Peanuts comic strip started
1951 ADS	Ampex 400 Magnecord PT6-A Magnecord PT63-A Magnecord PT-7 Magnecord PT-7CC Magnecord PT6-BN $884 Stereo NAGRA	Bell RecordOFone RT-65 $113 Pentron Astra Sonic  ad $149.50 WilcoxGay Recordio Stereo kits became available adding a 2 channel head and an additional amplifier to create stereo in mono tape recorders		Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D	• Ampex 350 - many thousands made	Rosenberg trials Transcontinental TV Catcher in the Rye
1952 ADS	Magnecorder PT6J-AH $330 Magnecorder PT6-J $260 Magnecorder M30,M33 $499.95	Bell RecordOFone RT-65 $113		Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D	To create a "stereo effect" the Cook Disc System had 2 concentric grooves and the player had 2 side-byside tone arms and pickups.	Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952 Nixon “Checkers” speech
1953 ADS	Les Paul - 8 track text MultiTrack recording	Teac Founded see also  and photos Ampex 350 Bell RecordOFone RT-65 $113 Magnecorder PT6J-AH $330 Magnecorder PT6-J $260 Magnecorder M30,M33 $499.95	Ampex 450 for background music - 8 hours of continuous music on 14" reels	Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D	• Ampex - 4 track instrumentation recorder Ampex introduces the first high speed reel-to-reel duplicator as its Model 3200.	Rosenbergs executed Korean War ends
1954 ADS		AKG Founded Ampex 350  $1,315 Ampex 600 Berlant Concertone 20/20 $445.00 Crown 3M Magnecorder PT6J-AH $330 Magnecorder PT6-J  $260 Magnecorder M30,M33 $499.95	• Ampex 600 - 80,000 25 lbs $540 - specs almost same as 350	American Microphone D22 Astatic DR-10 Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D	The first commercial 2-track stereo tapes are released. Ampex Series "A" Stereo models A121, A122, Later called 960 & Mono models A111 & A112	Army-McCarthy hearings Racial segregation ruled unconstitutional by Supreme Court Condemnation of Sen. McCarthy Ernest Hemingway - Nobel Prize
1955 ADS	STEREO Arrives	Ampex 350  $1,315 Ampex 600 $545 Ampex 620 Berlant Concertone 20/20 Crown 3M Magnecorder PT6J-AH $330 Magnecorder PT6-J $260		Electro Voice 626 Electro Voice 911 Electro Voice 950 Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D	• Ampex - 1/2 sales telemetry to government Ampex develops "Sel-Sync" (Selective Synchronous Recording), making audio overdubbing practical. Ampex Series "A" Stereo models A121, A122, Later called 960 & Mono models A111 & A112	U.S. agrees to train South Vietnamese army Supreme Court ordered “all deliberate speed” in integration of public schools Rosa Parks AFL-CIO created
1956 ADS	STEREO grows Teac founded	Ampex 350 $1,315 Ampex 600 $545 Ampex 601  $545 Ampex 601-2 $995 Ampex 620 Berlant Concertone 20/20 $1,095 Crown 3M Magnecorder PT6J-AH $330 Magnecorder PT6-J $260 Magnecord S-36B		Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D	• Ampex - Consumer division Moved to Chicago Ampex Series "A" Stereo models A121, A122, Later called 960 & Mono models A111 & A112 Les Paul makes the first 8-track recordings using the "Sel-Sync" method.	interstate highway system First transatlantic telephone cable My Fair Lady opened on Broadway 4-Channel  CinemaScope introduced IBM First RAM
1957 ADS	Superscope	Ampex 350 Ampex 600 Ampex 620 Crown 3M Magnecorder PT6J-AH Magnecorder PT6-J Magnecord M90 Presto 800 Series professional reel tape recorder	Wilcox Gay Imperial 686 $269.95/$169.95	Electro Voice 623  $57.00 Electro Voice 664 Gray Chrome $49.98 Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D		Congress approved first civil rights bill for blacks since Reconstruction, Apr. 29, to protect voting rights. Little Rock students “direct link” between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.
1958 ADS	Compact Cassette note the Rolls Royce style logo for Roberts (later changed)	American Concertone 63 $755 Ampex 351 Ampex 601 Ampex 601-2  $995 Ampex 960  $650 '58 info Ampex 960 Caprice $650 Crown 3M Crown Prince $480 Magnecorder PT6J-AH Magnecorder PT6-J Magnecordette Magnemite 610  $335	EkoTape HeathKit Miles Walkie Recordall $465.75  '58 Norelco "Continental" $279.50 Pentron NL-3 $269.95 Sony 555-A  $595 '58 Webcor Regent  $209.95 Wollensak T-1515  $229.50	Calrad 500C $4.95 Electro Voice 623  $57.00 Electro Voice 664 Gray Chrome $49.98 Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D	Chronology of Magnetic Recording up until 1958 Page 1   Page 2    More Stefan Kudelski introduces the Nagra III battery-operated transistorized field tape recorder, which with its "Neo-Pilot" sync system becomes the de facto standard of the film industry	First U.S. earth satellite to go into orbit First domestic jet airline passenger service in U.S.
1959 ADS	first magnetic soundtracks	Ampex 350 Ampex 601 (tube) Ampex 601-2 $995 Crown 3M	Roberts 192 Sony 555-A  $595 '58	Calrad 500C $4.95 Electro Voice 623  $57.00 Shure 51 Shure 556 Turner S33D	Buddy Holly died Ritchie Valens died The Big Bopper died Ampex stock listed on N.Y. and Pacific Stock Exchange Tape Recorder Magazine, Feb, 1959 " Best estimate places the number of (tape) recorders sold at over 2,000,000.  Since 1954 the sale of tape recorders has gone up a steadily 20% a year."	Alaska admitted as 49th state Khrushchev in US quiz show scandal As the baby boom took hold, the population of school-age children grew from 25 million in 1950 to 35 million by 1959. NAMM