Group photograph: Sperry, Zeleny, Hayward, Berliner, Jackson.
Case File Catalog Summary
German inventor Emile Berliner was awarded the 1929 Franklin Medal by The Franklin Institute for his "life-work in successful invention." Berliner invented the microphone or "loose contact telephone transmitter" in 1877, and applied its use to telephony. He also developed the Gramophone, or Victor Talking Machine, for which he was awarded a Scott Medal by The Franklin Institute in 1897. Berliner received a 1913 Elliott Cresson Medal for his contributions to the field of telephony and the science of sound reproduction. Among his other achievements, Emile Berliner devised a method for duplicating disc records and invented acoustic tiles, which aid in ensuring proper acoustics in halls and theaters.
The Emile Berliner presentation was made possible by support from The Barra Foundation and Unisys.
Read the Committee on Science and the Arts Report on Emile Berliner’s life and his discovery of loose contact and their application to telephony in the microphone.