0gsw399jaqwagfppmdgui_source-uihjpu5z.mp4 Official

: Inspired by the anatomy of the human ear, Scott de Martinville built a device that used a speaking cone and a vibrating pin to etch sound waves onto paper covered in soot.

: The recording revealed a haunting performance of the French folk song "Au Clair de la Lune." Initially, researchers thought it was a woman or child, but later realized it was Scott de Martinville's own voice played at the correct speed. 0gsw399jaqwagfppmdgui_source-UIHJpu5z.mp4

: He never intended to "play back" the sound. Instead, he believed people could learn to "read" the visual squiggles of sound waves just like text. : Inspired by the anatomy of the human

He died in 1879, never knowing that his "visual text" would one day be heard by the world as the earliest recognizable recording of a human voice. The Unexpected Stories You Never Learned in School Instead, he believed people could learn to "read"

: For 150 years, these recordings remained silent "visuals." In 2008, scientists used microscopic digital imaging to scan the soot-etched paper and play it back as audio.