Thomas Alva Edison conceived of and developed the tinfoil phonograph between July and December 1877. The tinfoil phonograph entailed applying malleable foil to the phonograph cylinder for indentation by a stylus attached to a diaphragm.

Image: Illustration from “Patent Application, Thomas Alva Edison, April 17th, 1890.” _Edison Papers Digital Edition_. Web. 7 Nov. 2019.

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