The phonograph (gramophone) record was invented in 1887 by German-born, American inventor Emile Berliner (1851-1929). His flat, rotating disc involved the stylus moving horizontally across the record rather than vertically, as with the cylinders used previously. Berliner's recording stylus cut down on sound distortion and was easier to manufacture than the cumbersome wax cylinders.
Early phonograph records were made from a mixture of hard rubber, cotton, and powdered slate, although shellac (a form of commercial resin) was later used after its introduction in 1896. Phonograph records were initially single sided but the double-sided disc became common after about 1923. They usually came in three standard sizes, 7-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch, and originally they revolved at between seventy-five and eighty revolutions per minute (rpm). Most producers eventually settled on 78 rpm. A 10-inch disc would record about three minutes of music on each side. The discs used a spiral groove to record the sound in an analog fashion. This groove began at the outer edge and slowly worked its way in toward the center. The sound was transferred from the disc using a sharp needle that was forced to oscillate at audio frequencies from side to side by the groove.
The much loved long-play, 12-inch vinyl record was introduced in 1932. This revolved at 33 rpm, and twenty- five minutes of sound could be recorded on each side. Vinyl records were sturdier than their brittle shellac predecessors. Vinyl 7-inch, 45-rpm records took over from the shellac 78s with the advent of rock'n'roll.
