History of Megaphones

Samuel Morland and Athansius in 1655 discovered the megaphone and wrote a publication about his experimentation with different horns. The horn of those days was made of 20 feet of copper and could project a voice over a mile and a half. Kircher described the device  as a instrument that could be used for broadcasting on one end and overhearing on the other side. The coiled horn would be wedged into a side of a building connecting a speaker or listener inside the surrounding environment. The other founder of megaphones was Moorland who favored a tube shaped device where an initial sound would reverberate in sound waves through an instrument and become louder. Kircher's instrument used a cochleae design where a horn was twisted and a coiled apparatus unlike Morlands final design.

The first term "Megaphone" was first introduced by believe it or not Thomas Edison almost 200 years later. In 1878 Edison developed a similar device in hoped of assisting deaf people and the hard of hearing. with Edison's megaphone a low whisper could be heard a thousand feet away. Edison's megaphone invention had two outer funnels lined up in a row. Edison also had two outer funnels which were six and eight inches long and made with paper and connected to a tube inserted in each ear.  The middle funnel was similar to moorland's speaking trumpet, but had a larger slot to insert a user's mouth. Since the 1960's these old fashioned horns have been replaced by electronic battery operated electric versions. So here in this article we have found the birthplace of modern day megaphones.

For More information: Read
http://www.bostonsafety.com/megaphones.html