Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Build Your Own Gramophone"

Spark!Lab Homepage

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:41:09 GMT

This webiste, from the Lemelson Center’s Spark!Lab, uses fun activities to help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention. Students can play games, conduct science experiments, explore inventors’ notebooks, and even invent! Spark!Lab, the newest hands on space for families and others visiting the National Museum of American History, shows the real story behind an inventor’s work.

Edison Invents

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:30:20 GMT

Students will learn more about Thomas Alva Edison's creative genius. His mind gave us electric lights in our home and an entire system that produced and delivered electrical power. He was the first to record sound, and he also started the recording industry. Edison developed the first movie camera and produced the first movies. The website includes a biography of Edison, instructions on how to make a light bulb, and a list of related resources.

Blog Post: Forgotten Early Sound Recordings Given a Voice

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:20:35 GMT

In this post, students will learn about early recording history and hear recordings recovered from 1880s records. The recovered recordings are the Volta Laboratory Associates’ early experiments at recording and even reproducing live sound. These recordings were made in Washington, D.C., by Alexander Graham Bell, his cousin Chichester Bell, and Charles Sumner Tainter. They experimented with reproduction and copying techniques for possible mass-consumption of their discs, and, unlike Edison’s phonograph cylinders, the Volta records were durable enough to be played multiple times. This post is published on the Museum's "O Say Can You See?" blog.

Introduction to Acoustics Instruments

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:32:39 GMT

Meet Steven Turner, curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, as he discusses the Smithsonian's scientific instrument collection. This video focuses on the history of acoustics during the 18th and 19th centuries, including demonstrations of wave models, tuning forks, sirens, resonators, and the Chladni plate. This is the first video in a series of five.