1861


Johann Philipp Reis Telephone

Johann Philipp Reis performed the first transmission of speech by electricity.

1875

Bell & Gray's Liquid Transmitter

Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray invent the liquid transmitter.

1876 - 1878

Carbon Microphone

The carbon microphone was developed independently by Emile Berliner, Thomas Edison, David Edward Hughes, and M. A. Makhal’skii.

1876

Bell's Gallows Transmitter

Alexander Graham Bell is awarded a patent for inventing the telephone.

1877

First Moving Coil Transducer

Ernst Werner von Siemens patents the first moving coil transducer laying the groundwork for later dynamic microphones and loudspeakers

1886

Thomas Edison develops the Carbon Button Microphone

An improved and more consistent carbon microphone, mass produced for use in telephones

1916

First Condenser Microphone

E.C. Wente patented a "telephone transmitter”, now known as the condenser microphone, while working for Western Electric/Bell Labs.

1917

Piezoelectric Microphone

Paul Langevin invents the first microphonic transducer that uses a piezoelectric effect of sound on a crystal.

1923

Marconi-Sykes Magnetophone

The first custom built microphone for the BBC - it dramatically improved radio broadcast quality.

1924

First Ribbon Microphone

First patented by Walter H. Schottky and Dr. Erwin Gerlach. whilst working for Siemens and Halske AG.

1928

The First Production Ribbon Microphone

Siemens ELA M24

1931

Electrodynamic Moving-Coil Microphone

The Western Electric WE 618 is the first mass produced dynamic microphone.

1939

RCA introduces the 44BX ribbon microphone.

RCA release the 44BX ribbon microphone which appears on countless film sets, radio stations and records around the world.

1948

First Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphone

Georg Neumann introduced the U47, the first multi-pattern condenser microphone,

1966

Shure launch the SM58

Shure launch the iconic SM58 dynamic microphone in 1966.

1969

Apollo 11 lands on the moon

Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to speak into a microphone on the moon's surface.

1971

Led Zeppelin IV is released

British rock band Led Zeppelin release their 4th studio album.

2026

MoMics is Born

This on-line Museum of Microphones is launched.