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(Assignment Option 2: Historical/Modern)
Headphones
Sammi Lin
Historical
1890 - invention
Headphones were invented in 1890. They were mainly used by telephone operators and weighed over 10 pounds
Resource 1: This is a photo taken in 1928 where you can see telephone operators wearing headphones
Let’s take a closer look...
Look at how their headsets come with microphones :O
1922 - Snippet of New York Herald Newspaper
Resource 2: They called it the wireless telephone. Wireless in the sense that it didn’t have to connect to telephone poles
The “boxes” were called outfits
Examples of headphones & outfits
Resource 3: Taken from the Evening Public Ledger newspaper
Resource 4: By the 1920’s headphones were becoming commonly used for entertainment. People tuned in to listen to shows, stories, news, etc.
MODERN
Evolution of outfits & headphones
Notice the similarity between these two items
By the late 1990s to early 2000s many people people began using headphones to listen to music. This was when headphones became common use and popular
Early 2010s - Wireless earbuds/headphones
Resource 5: “If you just want headphones for listening to music… there's the new kind of completely wireless headphones, with two separate buds you put into your ears and nary a cable in sight. You likely know them as AirPods, but this world is big enough for more than just AirPods.” (Pierce, 2019)
More common use of wireless headphones/earbuds for convenience
HISTORICAL/MODERN COMPARISON
Connections between the past & now
Resource 6: “...we propose a binaural system for virtual auditory space synthesis and reproduction. We introduce a subjective listening test for head-related transfer function (HRTF) customization and real-time implementation of ambisonic surround sound over headphones” (Yao, 2017)(Journal: IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics)
As we move through the timeline of headphones we can see how it’s purpose and usage slowly evolved over time. Used first by telephone operators, then consumed by the public for listening to music, and now being implemented into VR for entertainment.
Binaural headphones, headphones which emit sounds that go around your head, are being implemented in VR headsets.
Resources
Photograph, N/A, Telephone operators - New Quotation Room - New York Stock Exchange, (1928) https://www.loc.gov/item/2002711638/ (Telephone operators at work using headphones with microphones)
Photograph, N/A,Image 5 of The New York herald (New York, N.Y.), February 15, 1922, 02/15/1922, (1922) https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045774/1922-02-15/ed-1/?sp=5&r=0.344,0.146,0.894,0.496,0 (Headphones aka "Wireless telephones" for sale on the newspaper)
Photograph, N/A, (1922), Evening public ledger. [volume], November 02, 1922, Night Extra, Page 10, Image 10, 11/02/1922,https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1922-11-02/ed-1/seq-10/#date1=1890&sort=relevance&rows=20&words=Outfit+Westinghouse&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=6&state=&date2=1930&proxtext=westinghouse+outfit&y=13&x=15&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2 (A picture of an outfit for sale on the newspaper aka the box radio thing)
Photograph,Theodor Horydczak, Capitol Radio Engineering Institute. Students at table wearing headphones at Capitol Radio Engineering Institute, (1920), https://www.loc.gov/item/2019674972/ (Capitol Radio Engineering Institute. Students at table wearing headphones at Capitol Radio Engineering Institute)
Article, Pierce, D., The best truly wireless Headphones—Besides AirPods; apple AirPods started the revolution in totally wireless, internet-accessible headphones—but they are no longer your only option. Wall Street Journal (Online). ProQuest, (2019, May 12) Retrieved from http://proxy.library.stonybrook.edu/login?
Peer-Reviewed Journal, S. Yao, "Headphone-based immersive audio for virtual reality headsets," in IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 300-308, (August 2017), doi: 10.1109/TCE.2017.014951. https://ieeexplore-ieee-org.proxy.library.stonybrook.edu/document/8103379
All historical sources were found using LOC.gov, modern sources were found through Stony Search.
Resources below are listed in order from what was shown