Every year since 2002, the National Recording Preservation Board and members of the public have nominated recordings to be added to the National Recording Registry — an ever-growing list that celebrates America’s rich audio legacy. From revolutionary technologies to priceless cultural snapshots, the registry captures the sound of history as it unfolded. Here are 17 incredible early recordings, dating from the 1850s to the turn of the 20th century, that helped launch recorded sound into the future.
Phonautograms – Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville (1853–1861)
The phonautograms are the very first known recordings of sound — made not to be heard, but seen as waveforms on paper. Over 150 years later, they were decoded and played back, allowing us to hear voices from the dawn of recording.
St. Louis Tinfoil Recording – Thomas Edison (1878)
Edison’s St. Louis tinfoil phonograph captured one of the earliest known playable recordings of human speech. It was lost to history for over a century before scientists recovered and digitized it in 2020.
1888 London Cylinder Recordings – George Gouraud (1888)
These recordings of Colonel Gouraud demonstrating Edison’s phonograph include the earliest known recorded performances of Arthur Sullivan’s work — a historic blend of British eloquence and cutting-edge American tech.
Around the World on the Phonograph – Thomas Edison (1888–1889)
Edison’s narrated journey introduces listeners to his phonograph while guiding them across the globe through a series of sound vignettes — audio storytelling at its Victorian finest.
Edison Talking Doll Cylinder – Unknown (1888)
This eerie, scratchy snippet of a child’s voice reciting nursery rhymes was embedded in an early talking doll. It’s as haunting as it is historic — a glimpse into toy innovation long before Toy Story.
Fifth Regiment March – Thomas Edison (1888–1889)
One of the earliest musical recordings, this march set the standard for how brass-heavy, patriotic tunes would sound on wax cylinders. It’s audio archaeology you can tap your foot to.
Pattison Waltz – Thomas Edison (1888–1889)
This sweet, swaying waltz captured on cylinder represents one of Edison’s first musical forays — delicate and graceful, it’s the 19th-century version of your favorite dance floor slow jam.
The Lord’s Prayer – Emile Berliner (1890)
Believed to be the first known disc recording, Berliner’s version of The Lord’s Prayer helped pivot recorded sound from cylinders to flat discs, paving the way for the modern record industry.
Passamaquoddy Indian Field Recordings – Jesse Walter Fewkes (1890)
Fewkes captured these extraordinary field recordings of Passamaquoddy tribal chants and prayers — the first ethnographic recordings of Native American voices, still echoing with spiritual significance.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – Emile Berliner (1890)
Berliner’s gentle rendering of the beloved children’s classic stands as one of the earliest playable disc recordings. Simple, sweet, and strangely moving — a lullaby that outlived its singer by generations.
Vernacular Wax Cylinder Recordings – Various (c. 1890–1920)
A rich collection of everyday voices captured on wax, these recordings include folk songs, oral histories, and casual conversation — a priceless archive of accents, stories, and forgotten slang.
Benjamin Ives Gilman Collection – 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
Recorded at Chicago’s famous World’s Fair, Gilman’s cylinders preserve music from diverse cultures on display — audio souvenirs from an exhibition that celebrated (and exoticized) global diversity.
Laughing Song – George W. Johnson (c. 1896)
One of the first Black recording stars, Johnson charmed listeners with his infectious laugh — a novelty hit that sold tens of thousands of cylinders and proved people would pay to hear joy on repeat.
Stars and Stripes Forever – Military Band (1897)
A thunderous rendition of Sousa’s patriotic classic, this early recording turned marching music into mass entertainment — giving listeners a burst of red, white, and boom before radio was even a thing.
Gypsy Love Song – Eugene Cowles (1898)
Cowles’ operatic baritone brings gravitas and warmth to this romantic ballad, offering listeners a rare preserved taste of 19th-century vocal technique and operetta performance.
Honolulu Cake Walk – Vess Ossman (1898)
Banjo master Vess Ossman gave this ragtime number its infectious bounce. One of the first pop instrumentals to sweep early recording markets, it helped bring syncopation into living rooms everywhere.
These early recordings remind us how far we’ve come — and how every musical innovation starts with a whisper, a march, or a child’s rhyme. Thanks to the National Recording Registry, these sonic time capsules will outlive us all, proving that even the faintest echoes of history deserve to be heard forever.