THOMAS EDISON AND THE PHONOGRAPH

The phonograph was developed as a result of Thomas Edison's work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone. In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would transcribe telegraphic messages through indentations on paper tape, which could later be sent over the telegraph repeatedly. This development led Edison to speculate that a telephone message could also be recorded in a similar fashion. He experimented with a diaphragm which had an embossing point and was held against rapidly-moving paraffin paper. The speaking vibrations made indentations in the paper. Edison later changed the paper to a metal cylinder with tin foil wrapped around it. The machine had two diaphragm-and-needle units, one for recording, and one for playback. When one would speak into a mouthpiece, the sound vibrations would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle in a vertical (or hill and dale) groove pattern. Edison gave a sketch of the machine to his mechanic, John Kreusi, to build, which Kreusi supposedly did within 30 hours. Edison immediately tested the machine by speaking the nursery rhyme into the mouthpiece, "Mary had a little lamb." To his amazement, the machine played his words back to him.

JOHN LENNON TOILET UP FOR AUCTION THEN SELLS FOR $14,700

A porcelain toilet used by John Lennon between 1969 and 1972 is among the 303 lots going up for auction Saturday at the 33rd annual Beatle Week Festival in Liverpool.

"The toilet might be worth something, and it might not, but it is certainly one of the more unusual items we've sold," auction organizer Steven Bailey told the Daily Telegraph.

Likely having more significance to collectors: a rare mono copy -- as in, not stereo -- of the 1968 release "Two Virgins," recorded by Lennon with Yoko Ono, and featuring full frontal and backside nudity ...

... of the couple on the front and back of the album, a feature that required the record to be sold in a brown paper wrapper back in the day.
Another item of interest to non-collectors: A harmonica that once belonged to Julian Lennon is up for bid. According to the auction catalog notes, John gave it to the seller's father, begging him, "Take it home, please, I'll tell Julian it's lost, he drives me potty with it."

So, that's two things potty, right?

UPDATE....

LONDON — Lennon, who was murdered in New York in 1980, had the porcelain lavatory removed from Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire, southern England, where he lived from 1969 to 1971, and replaced with a new one.

The builders who took away the white and blue lavatory were told to "put some flowers in it or something," according to the auction catalog.

Builder John Hancock stored it in his shed for 40 years until he died recently and the lavatory was sent for sale, British media reports said.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The toilet was among Beatles memorabilia sold at auction as part of the Beatle week festival in Liverpool, the group's native city in northwest England. The pre-auction estimate was 750 to 1,000 pounds.

Anne-Marie Trace, who works at the Beatles Shop in Liverpool which organized the sale, said the high price paid had taken the organizers by surprise.

"I think it's the most unusual item we've ever had in our auction," she told Reuters.

The buyer was not identified but Trace said it was likely it was "going overseas."







With this in mind, how much would the toilet paper be worth. Elvis Presley's barber did well by selling locks of his hair.

FATHER GOOSE,HIS BOOK. by L. FRANK BAUM. PICTURES BY WM. M. DENSLOW, SEPTEMBER 1899

Father Goose, His Book, By L. Frank Baum, Pictures By Wm. W. Denslow, Chicago, Geo. M. Hill Co., Publishers, September, 1899, First Edition: This large 9" x 11" hardcover book has 104 unnumbered pages with color illustrations on almost every page. At the bottom of the introduction page is "Chicago, September, 1899" which identifies this as a first edition, first issue

HISTORY OF THE 100 YARD DASH

The 100 yard dash is a track and field event of 100 yards or 91.44 metres. It was part of the Commonwealth Games until 1966, and was included in the decathlon of the Olympics, at least in 1904. It is not generally used in international events (having been replaced by the 100 metre sprint). However, it is still occasionally run in the United States in certain competitions.

[edit] Notable 100 yard dash runners
Athlete Date Time Remarks Ref
F. C. Saportas 1870 10.5 Official world record
W. C. Wilmer 1878 10.0 Official world record
Arthur Wharton 1886 10.0 Tied official world record
J. Owen, Jr. 1890 9.8 Official world record
R.P. Williams 1906 9.0 5 Separate Time Pieces-Verified in Jim Thorpe Article on Bottom of This Page
D. J. Kelly 1906 9.6 Official world record
Jack Donaldson Johannesburg, 1910 9.375 World Record
Eric Liddell 1924 9.7 British record
Eddie Tolan 1929 9.5 Official world record
Frank Wykoff Chicago June 7, 1930 9.4 Official world record, without starting blocks
Jesse Owens 1933 9.4 Tied the world record, set U.S. high school record
Mel Patton 1948 9.3 Official world record
James Jackson 1954 9.4 Tied U.S. high-school record, Alameda High School in Alameda, California
Ken Irvine 1961 9.3 Tied professional 100 yard world record
Frank Budd 1962 9.2 Official world record
Bob Hayes 1962 9.35
Charles Greene 1967 9.21
Bob Hayes 1964 9.1 Manual time
John Carlos 1969 9.1 Manual time, equalled Hayes's world record
Houston McTear early 1970s 9.0 Unofficial and hand-timed. In 1975 registered a time of 9.30 seconds.
Jim Prewitt of Corpus Christ Carroll Electronic Timed Texas Relays 100 yard dash 1973 9.7

Ref: Texas Relays

Pharnell Raines 1971 9.2 High School Record, Manual timed, Fort Myers, Florida
Ivory Crockett 1974 9.0 Manual time
Asafa Powell 2010 9.07+ (-0.5 m/s) Official World Best [1]

+ = in route to longer distance

Why is the 100 yard dash record ignored and it would be great to actually see officially a human run under 9.0 for the 100 yard dash which has been done en route to 100 meter times under 9.90.

This is an open invitation to all those involved in track lore to offically go for under the 9.0 flat barrier.

Notable 100 yard dash runners
Athlete Date Time Remarks Ref
F. C. Saportas 1870 10.5 Official world record
W. C. Wilmer 1878 10.0 Official world record
Arthur Wharton 1886 10.0 Tied official world record
J. Owen, Jr. 1890 9.8 Official world record
R.P. Williams 1906 9.0 5 Separate Time Pieces-Verified in Jim Thorpe Article on Bottom of This Page
D. J. Kelly 1906 9.6 Official world record
Jack Donaldson Johannesburg, 1910 9.375 World Record
Eric Liddell 1924 9.7 British record
Eddie Tolan 1929 9.5 Official world record
Frank Wykoff Chicago June 7, 1930 9.4 Official world record, without starting blocks
Jesse Owens 1933 9.4 Tied the world record, set U.S. high school record
Mel Patton 1948 9.3 Official world record
James Jackson 1954 9.4 Tied U.S. high-school record, Alameda High School in Alameda, California
Ken Irvine 1961 9.3 Tied professional 100 yard world record
Frank Budd 1962 9.2 Official world record
Bob Hayes 1962 9.35
Charles Greene 1967 9.21
Bob Hayes 1964 9.1 Manual time
John Carlos 1969 9.1 Manual time, equalled Hayes's world record
Houston McTear early 1970s 9.0 Unofficial and hand-timed. In 1975 registered a time of 9.30 seconds.
Jim Prewitt of Corpus Christ Carroll Electronic Timed Texas Relays 100 yard dash 1973 9.7

Ref: Texas Relays

Pharnell Raines 1971 9.2 High School Record, Manual timed, Fort Myers, Florida
Ivory Crockett 1974 9.0 Manual time
Asafa Powell 2010 9.07+ (-0.5 m/s) Official World Best [1]

+ = in route to longer distance