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Technology

Canadian Marcellus G. Edson files a patent application for a new product of his own invention which he calls Peanut Candy. It is virtually identical to the foodstuff which will become known globally as peanut butter, and Edson will be granted US Patent No. US306727A on October 21, 1884. The product will inspire the 1961 hit song Peanut Butter by The Marathons, and also the 2015 song Peanut Butter Jelly by Swedish EDM duo Galantis.
German immigrant Emile Berliner is granted patent no 372,786 in the USA in respect of his new sound-reproduction apparatus, the gramophone.
Thomas Edison applies for a patent, No 393465, in connection with his invention of a Method of Preparing Phonograph Recording-Surfaces.
Thomas Edison applies for several patents in connection with his invention of an automatic determining device for phonographs.
Adolf Adam Riggenbacher and his parents arrive in New York City, USA, aboard the liner La Bretagne. The family has emigrated from Basel, Switzerland, to start a new life in America. In the 1920s, after having adapted his name to Adolph Rickenbacker, he will found The Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company and, with vaudeville musician George Beauchamp, he will design and patent the world's first electric guitar, known as The Frying Pan, because of its long neck and round body.
Henry Rodemeyer of Manhattan, New York City, USA, files a patent application for his invention of an improved 'sounder' for stringed musical instruments.
William Gabrielson of Kansas City, Missouri, USA, files a patent application for a "hollow bridge" device for stringed instruments which will, he claims, greatly improve "the volume of sound and the quality of the tone."
W.W. Saunders of Washington DC, USA, applies for a patent for his invention of an automatic playing attachment for pianos or other musical instruments of similar character.
J.D. Philipps files U.S. Patent Application No. 730,565, in respect of a new type of Pneumatic Action for Musical Instruments such as the Wurlitzer Style 17 PianOrchestra.
An application is filed by Alfred Stange of Dresden, Germany, Europe, to register a patent in the USA for a musical alarm clock.
Peter Welin of Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, is granted Patent No. US748126A in respect of his invention of an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments.
Emil Berliner, an early pioneer of gramophones, dies of a heart attack aged 78. he will be buried in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C., USA.
Construction of The Grand Coulee Dam begins on the Columbia River, Washington, USA, to produce hydro-electric power and provide irrigation for the region. The dam will provide the inspiration for Woody Guthrie's 1941 song, Grand Coulee Dam, written while he was commissioned by the Bonneville Power Administration to write songs as part of a documentary film project about the dam and related projects.
The Slim Gaillard Quartet records Atomic Cocktail for Atomic Inc Records in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
US Patent Serial No. 193,229 is filed by Roman E. Shvetz of New York City, USA, for his invention of a combination Rocking-chair and musical-box.
Leo Fender applies for a US patent for his "new, original and ornamental design for a guitar", which is essentially his electric Spanish guitar model The Telecaster.
In his year-end statement, David Sarnoff, Chairman of RCA, hails the newly-developed transistor as a scientific marvel which is likely to revolutionise electronics and communications.
Frederick J. Troppe of Joliet, Illinois, USA, is awarded US Patent No 2716917A in respect of his invention of a tone modifier for musical instruments of the accordion type.
The Manchester Guardian newspaper reports that stereophonic discs will be available in the UK within a few months. Critic Edward Greenfield notes that, "There are those who confidently believe that, ultimately, 'stereo' will take first place as a gramophone medium."
FM Multiplex stereo broadcasting is introduced in the USA - radio stations across the nation begin broadcasting in stereo for the first time.
The first demonstration of a home video tape recorder, The Telcan, is held at BBC Studios in London, England, UK, Europe. Produced by the Nottingham Electronic Valve Company, it can be bought as a unit or in kit form for £60. However, the kit is difficult to assemble, and can record for only twenty minutes at a time in black-and-white. Nevertheless, MTV is now inevitable.
The Beach Boys release a new album, Beach Boys' Concert, in the USA on Capitol Records. Unfortunately, many of the tracks are studio recordings doctored to mske them sound live.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience visit the Marshall Amplification factory in Hanwell, London, UK.
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Al Stewart, The Strawbs and Mike Chapman play at Barking College Of Technology, Dagenham, Essex, UK, Europe.
The North American Sam Goody chain of record shops is convicted of dealing in pirate tapes, after Billy Joel testifies that he cannot distinguish between a bootleg version of his LP, The Stranger, and the officially released CBS version.
Motown Records enter the CD age with their first eight releases in the new format.
On their End Of The Road tour Status Quo play at Sporthalle St. Jakob, Basel, Switzerland, Europe. During the show, Francis Rossi collapses on stage following problems with a smoke machine and has to be hospitalised. He is later moved to London for health checks and several scheduled shows on the tour have to be cancelled.
One of four reactors in the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl in the Ukraine, explodes. 57 deaths are caused directly by the accident itself, and the eventual death toll caused by radiation runs into the thousands. This horrific incident will inspire the 1988 song Red Alert by British heavy metal band Saxon, who were touring nearby when the Chernobyl event took place.
David C. Rockola, best-known for his invention of the Rock-ola range of juke box es, dies aged 96 in Skokie, Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was known to have been in league with the mafia in the early days of his business operations.
Cher releases her new single, Believe, in the UK. Noted for its use of Antares Auto-Tune pitch-correction software on her vocals, it will become one of the best-selling singles of all time, selling over 10m copies worldwide.
Connected by satellite from his home at Lake House, Wiltshire, England, UK, Europe, Sting makes a surprise guest appearance on the Italian TV show Yesterday, where he performs the song My Heart And I.
Music download service Napster launches a new product, Napster To Go, with a $30m marketing campaign. The service enables subscribers to download an unlimited number of songs from Napster’s vast music library to a Janus-compatible device for a monthly fee of $14.95.
It is announced that Schechter Guitars is launching a new model, The Ultra Cure Guitar, designed and built to the specifications of Robert Smith of The Cure. Smith will donate all royalties from sales of the guitar to Amnesty International.
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Aspiring young singer Conor Maynard of Brighton, UK, signs up to YouTube and uploads his cover version of Breathe by Lee Carr. Five years later, Maynard will score his first hit single.
Suzanne Vega becomes the first major recording artist to perform live in the Internet-based virtual world, Second Life. The event is hosted by John Hockenberry of public radio's The Infinite Mind.
China's Ministry of Culture issues a notice listing 68 online music sites which have violated the ministry's regulations and failed to obtain the necessary operating license. Before the end of the month, more than twenty of the sites listed will close down.
Social media statistical organisation Famecount reports that Eminem has joined the exclusive league of stars with more than 10m Facebook followers. The rapper still trails behind Michael Jackson [18.3m], Lady Gaga [15.3m] and Linkin Park [10.3m].
Streaming and recommendation service Last.fm announces that Mumford and Sons' Sigh No More was the most played album of 2010 on Last.fm in the UK with 11.6m scrobbles, while Ke$ha's Animal was the most played album globally with just under 16m.
Adele's Rolling In The Deep becomes the biggest-selling digital song of all time by a woman in the USA - and the second-biggest overall. With 99,000 copies sold in the week ending February 26, Rolling In The Deep's cumulative sales rise to 6.68m, overtaking Lady Gaga's Poker Face [6.62m].
It is revealed, via an interview in Us magazine, that Lady Gaga plans to become the first professional musician to sing in space, a goal she hopes to achieve in early 2015 during a commercial flight on a Virgin Galactic ship travelling into sub-orbital space.
Jessie J posts a statement on her Twitter page declaring that she will not tolerate racist comments on the page. She had noticed racist remarks from some of her fans, and immediately blocked the offending comments from her page.
Twenty-four UK music festivals including T in the Park, Bestival, Secret Garden Party, Lovebox, Global Gathering, Parklife and Sonisphere impose a digital blackout across their websites and social media, throwing their homepages into darkness for a day to raise awareness of the dangers of legal highs.
Apple announces that it has bought Beats Electronics, the headphone and streaming music service owned by Dr Dre, for $3bn.
McFly record a new version of My Generation with Roger Daltrey of The Who on vocals. The track is to be released exclusively as a download from the soon to be launched HMV Digital website.
Via a handwritten note posted on her Facebook page, Bjork announces the imminent release of her new LP, Vulnicura.
During Motley Crue's 'final' tour, drummer Tommy Lee and his drumkit get stuck upside down at the top of a custom built roller coaster in The Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.
European Space Administration astronaut Alexander Gerst has his first interaction with a new artificial intelligence device, CIMON (short for Crew Interactive Mobile CompanioN), in the Columbus Lab aboard the International Space Station. During their interaction, Cimon plays the Kraftwerk song The Man Machine at Gersh's request, but does not stop playing the music when Gersh tells him to. Instead Cimon says, "I love music you can dance to." Later, Cimon tells Gersh, "Be nice to me."
Chris Brown responds to recent criticism from Scottish band Chvrches with an Instagram posting calling them 'the type of people I wish walked in front of a speeding bus full of mental patients.'
Wiley begins a Twitter feud with Stormzy by posting the following message, "I’m old but you was tryna work with jay z who Ed brought in the room Cos if it wasn’t for Ed that session would not of happened lol your not with us your with them #Pagan I am 10 years younger than jay z and I will merc you everyday of the week #YourEasy #TooEasy (sic).” The message is a criticism of Stormzy for having bteamed up with Ed Sheeran on their recent track Own It.
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