Politics & Government

Berkeley Lab Brings Thomas Edison's Talking Doll Back To Life

Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory were able to make the 123-year-old artifact sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' once again.

Some nursery rhymes never get old — even those that are 123 years old. Historians have recovered what is believed to be the earliest recording of a woman's voice in a talking doll made by Thomas Edison in 1888, according to the National Park Service. 

The scratchy, 12-second audio clip, captures a woman reciting "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Historians believe the recording was produced over a century ago, back when Edison was venturing in the sale of talking dolls. While the dolls didn't quite stick with the public back then, now, historians are receiving these dolls with open arms.

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According to historian Patrick Feaster, Edison's efforts marked the first commercial recording — the first time people were hired to record audio that would be distributed to the masses.  

The woman's voice, recorded on a ring-shaped cylinder phonograph, was discovered in 1967. The artifact, though, lay mute for years, as historians were unable to make the phonograph emit sound. 

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It wasn't until May of this year that a little bit of technology brought Edison's genuis to life. 

Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California were able to procure sound from the 123-year-old artifact using 3D scanning technology to reproduce the audio.  

“This recording has not been heard since Edison’s lifetime. It represents a significant milestone in the early history of recorded sound technology,” said National Park Service Superintendent Greg Marshall. 

The track can be heard on the National Park Service webpage.


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