Speaker
Description
The invention of the telephone, attributed to Bell in 1876, with the ability to transmit sounds telegraphically, had revolutionized social life in just a few years. In just five years, the major cities of the United States were connected by telephone lines, consisting of pairs of devices linked in a binary dialogue. The telephone itself underwent rapid evolution. With ingenious switching systems, it became possible to route calls among multiple recipients. The telephone became a tool of mass communication, and its technology prompted other important developments.
In 1881, at the International Electricity Exhibition in Paris, the Théâtrophone presented by engineer Clement Ader was on display, along with other fundamental inventions such as Edison's incandescent light bulb and Siemens' electric tram. It worked thanks to two receivers resembling seashells that, when held to the ears, allowed the user to listen to opera arias currently being performed on the stage of the Opéra Garnier, over two kilometers away. Eighty carbon microphones were positioned on the stage, 40 on each side, thus creating a stereophonic sound effect. The signal traveled through underground cables that connected the Exposition building to the theater. Within a few years, Ader's invention became a commercial service. From 1890, the Compagnie du Théâtrophone offered services to private individuals and public institutions. The theater benefited immensely from the arrival of the théâtrophone, which quickly spread throughout the world. It was used until 1932, after which it was supplanted by radio and the phonograph.
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