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Théâtrophone

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Théâtrophone ("the theatre phone") was a telephonic distribution system available in portions of Europe that allowed the subscribers to listen to opera and theatre performances over the telephone lines. The théâtrophone evolved from a Clément Ader invention, which was first demonstrated in 1881, in Paris . Subsequently, in 1890, the invention was commercialized by Compagnie du Théâtrophone, which continued to operate until 1932.

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37-535: The origin of the théâtrophone can be traced to a telephonic transmission system demonstrated by Clément Ader at the 1881 International Exposition of Electricity in Paris. The system was inaugurated by the French President Jules Grévy , and allowed broadcasting of concerts or plays. Ader had arranged 80 telephone transmitters across the front of a stage to create a form of binaural stereophonic sound . It

74-493: A Freemason . Bellamy attended public school at Chicopee Falls before leaving for Union College of Schenectady, New York , where he studied for just two semesters. Upon leaving school, he made his way to Europe for a year, spending extensive time in Germany. He briefly studied law but abandoned that field without ever having practiced as a lawyer, instead entering the world of journalism. In this capacity Bellamy briefly served on

111-468: A Romance of Shays' Rebellion was published in 1900. Edward Bellamy died of tuberculosis in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts ten years after the publication of his most famous book. He was 48 years old. His lifelong home in Chicopee Falls, built by his father, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. Bellamy was the cousin of Francis Bellamy , famous for writing the original version of

148-407: A country relieved of its social ills through abandonment of the principle of competition and establishment of state ownership of industry proved an appealing panacea to a generation of intellectuals alienated from the dark side of Gilded Age America. By 1891 it was reported that no fewer than 162 Nationalist Clubs were in existence. Bellamy's use of the term "Nationalism" rather than "socialism" as

185-421: A descriptor of his governmental vision was calculated, as he did not want to limit either sales of his novel or the potential influence of its political ideas. In an 1888 letter to literary critic William Dean Howells , Bellamy wrote: Every sensible man will admit there is a big deal in a name, especially in making first impressions. In the radicalness of the opinions I have expressed, I may seem to out-socialize

222-592: A distance of 100 m (330 ft) in Satory near Paris, was never widely accepted. Ader's progress attracted the interest of the minister of war, Charles de Freycinet . With the backing of the French War Office, Ader developed and constructed the Avion III . It resembled an enormous bat made of linen and wood, with a 15 m (48 ft) wingspan, equipped with two four-bladed tractor propellers, each powered by

259-433: A female character in the novel Massarenes (1897) as "A modern woman of the world. As costly as an ironclad and as complicated as theatrophone." In 1890, the system became operational as a service under the name "théâtrophone" in Paris. The service was offered by Compagnie du Théâtrophone (The Théâtrophone Company), which was founded by MM. Marinovitch and Szarvady. The théâtrophone offered theatre and opera performances to

296-678: A height of approximately 20 centimetres (8 in). Ader also claimed credit for getting off the ground in the Éole. Ader began construction of a second aircraft he called the Avion II , also referred to as the Zephyr or Éole II . Most sources agree that work on this aircraft was never completed, and it was abandoned in favour of the Avion III . Ader's later claim that he flew the Avion II in August 1892 for

333-620: A landing field. Ader is still admired for his early powered flight efforts, and his aircraft gave the French language the word avion for a heavier-than-air aircraft. In 1938, France issued a postage stamp honoring him. Airbus named one of its aircraft assembly sites in Toulouse after him. Clément Ader has been referred to as "the father of aviation". [REDACTED] Media related to Clément Ader at Wikimedia Commons Edward Bellamy Edward Bellamy (March 26, 1850 – May 22, 1898)

370-501: A lightweight steam engine of his own invention, with 4 cylinders with a power rating of 20 hp (15 kW), driving a four-blade propeller . The engine weighed 51 kg (112 lb). The wings had a span of 14 m (46 ft). All-up weight was 300 kg (660 lb). On 9 October 1890 Ader attempted to fly the Éole . Aviation historians give credit to this effort as a powered take-off and uncontrolled flight in ground effect of approximately 50 m (160 ft) at

407-612: A sequel to Looking Backward , in 1897, and died the following year. Edward Bellamy was born in Chicopee, Massachusetts . His father was Rufus King Bellamy (1816–1886), a Baptist minister and a descendant of Joseph Bellamy . His mother, Maria Louisa Putnam Bellamy, was a Calvinist. She was the daughter of a Baptist minister named Benjamin Putnam, who was forced to withdraw from the ministry in Salem, Massachusetts , following objections to his becoming

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444-573: A steam engine of 30 hp (22 kW). Using a circular track at Satory, Ader carried out taxiing trials on 12 October 1897 and two days later attempted a flight. After a short run the machine was caught by a gust of wind, slewed off the track, and came to a stop. After this the French army withdrew its funding, but kept the results secret. The commission released in November 1910 the official reports on Ader's attempted flights, stating that they were unsuccessful. Clément Ader remained an active proponent of

481-461: Is not a good name for a party to succeed with in America. No such party can or ought to succeed that is not wholly and enthusiastically American and patriotic in spirit and suggestions. Bellamy himself came to actively participate in the political movement which emerged around his book, particularly after 1891 when he founded his own magazine, The New Nation , and began to promote united action between

518-513: The Paris–Madrid race , but although three or four were produced, none was sold. Following his work with V8 engines, Ader turned to the problem of mechanical flight and until the end of his life gave much time and money to this. Using the studies of Louis Pierre Mouillard (1834–1897) on the flight of birds, he constructed his first flying machine in 1886, the Ader Éole . It was a bat-like design run by

555-861: The King Luís I of Portugal decided to use the system, when he could not attend an opera in person. The director of the Edison Gower Bell Company, who was responsible for this théâtrophone installation, was later awarded the Military Order of Christ . The théâtrophone technology was made available in Belgium in 1884, and in Lisbon in 1885. In Sweden, the first telephone transmission of an opera performance took place in Stockholm in May 1887. The British writer Ouida describes

592-518: The United Kingdom as well, more than 235,000 copies being sold there between 1890 and 1935. In Looking Backward , a non-violent revolution had transformed the American economy and thereby society; private property had been abolished in favor of state ownership of capital and the elimination of social classes and the ills of society that he thought inevitably followed from them. In the new world of

629-552: The daily grind of journalism in favor of literary work, which put fewer demands upon his time and his health. Bellamy married Emma Augusta Sanderson in 1882. The couple had two children. Bellamy's early novels, including Six to One (1878), Dr. Heidenhoff's Process (1880), and Miss Ludington's Sister (1885), were unremarkable works, making use of standard psychological plots. A turn to utopian science fiction with Looking Backward, 2000–1887 , published in January 1888, captured

666-462: The development of aviation. In 1909 he published L'Aviation Militaire , a very popular book which went through 10 editions in the five years before the First World War . It is notable for its vision of aerial warfare and for its foreseeing the form of the modern aircraft carrier , with a flat flight deck, an island superstructure, deck elevators and a hangar bay. His idea for an aircraft carrier

703-401: The device as one of the many technological commodities available for the distraction of the upper classes. In his utopian science fiction novel Looking Backward (1888), Edward Bellamy predicted sermons and music being available in the home through a system like théâtrophone. Cl%C3%A9ment Ader Clément Ader (2 April 1841 – 3 May 1925) was a French inventor and engineer who

740-612: The key activists of the Nationalist Clubs largely absorbed into the apparatus of the People's Party (although a Nationalist Party did run three candidates for office in Wisconsin as late as 1896 ), Bellamy abandoned politics for a return to literature. He set to work on a sequel to Looking Backward titled Equality , attempting to deal with the ideal society of the post-revolutionary future in greater detail. In this final work, he addressed

777-533: The most commercially successful books published in the United States in the 19th century, and it especially appealed to a generation of intellectuals alienated from the alleged dark side of the Gilded Age . In the early 1890s, Bellamy established a newspaper known as The New Nation and began to promote united action between the various Nationalist Clubs and the emerging Populist Party . He published Equality ,

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814-483: The public imagination and catapulted Bellamy to literary fame. Its publisher could scarcely keep up with demand. Within a year it had sold some 200,000 copies, and by the end of the 19th century had sold more copies than any other book published in America up to that time except for Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace . The book gained an extensive readership in

851-499: The question of feminism , dealing with the taboo subject of female reproductive rights in a future, post-revolutionary America. Other subjects overlooked in Looking Backward, such as animal rights and wilderness preservation , were dealt with in a similar context. The book saw print in 1897 and would prove to be Bellamy's final creation. Several short stories of Bellamy's were published in 1898, and The Duke of Stockbridge;

888-574: The rising popularity of radio broadcasting and the phonograph , and the Compagnie du Théâtrophone ceased its operations in 1932. Similar systems elsewhere in Europe included Telefon Hírmondó (est. 1893) of Budapest and Electrophone of London (est. 1895). In the United States , the systems similar to théâtrophone were limited to one-off experiments. Erik Barnouw reported a concert by telephone that

925-464: The socialists, yet the word socialist is one I never could well stomach. In the first place it is a foreign word in itself, and equally foreign in all its suggestions. It smells to the average American of petroleum, suggests the red flag, and with all manner of sexual novelties, and an abusive tone about God and religion, which in this country we at least treat with respect. [...] [W]hatever German and French reformers may choose to call themselves, socialist

962-606: The staff of the New York Post before returning to his native Massachusetts to take a position at the Springfield Union . At the age of 25, Bellamy developed tuberculosis , the disease that would ultimately kill him. He suffered with its effects throughout his adult life. In an effort to regain his health, Bellamy spent a year in the Hawaiian Islands (1877 to 1878). Returning to the United States, he decided to abandon

999-424: The subscribers. The service can be called a prototype of the telephone newspaper , as it included five-minute news programs at regular intervals. The Théâtrophone Company set up coin-operated telephone receivers in hotels, cafés, clubs, and other locations, costing 50 centimes for five minutes of listening. The subscription tickets were also issued at a reduced rate, in order to attract regular patrons. The service

1036-456: The telephone network in Paris in 1880. In 1881, he invented the théâtrophone , a system of telephonic transmission where listeners received a separate channel for each ear, enabling stereophonic perception of the actors on a set; it was this invention which gave the first stereo transmission of opera performances, over a distance of 2 miles (3 km) in 1881. In 1903, he devised a V8 engine for

1073-479: The various Nationalist Clubs and the emerging People's Party . For the next three and a half years, Bellamy gave his all to politics, publishing his magazine, working to influence the platform of the People's Party, and publicizing the Nationalist movement in the popular press. This phase of his life came to an end in 1894, when The New Nation was forced to suspend publication owing to financial difficulties. With

1110-422: The year 2000, there was no longer war, poverty, crime, prostitution, corruption, money, or taxes . Neither did there exist such occupations seen by Bellamy as of dubious worth to society, such as politicians, lawyers, merchants, or soldiers. Instead, Bellamy's utopian society of the future was based upon the voluntary employment of all citizens between the ages of 21 and 45, after which time all would retire. Work

1147-418: Was also available to home subscribers. French writer Marcel Proust was a keen follower of théâtrophone, as evident by his correspondence. He subscribed to the service in 1911. Many technological improvements were gradually made to the original théâtrophone system. The Brown telephone relay, invented in 1913, yielded interesting results for amplification of the current. The théâtrophone finally succumbed to

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1184-405: Was an American author, journalist, and political activist most famous for his utopian novel Looking Backward . Bellamy's vision of a harmonious future world inspired the formation of numerous " Nationalist Clubs " dedicated to the propagation of his political ideas. After working as a journalist and writing several unremarkable novels, Bellamy published Looking Backward in 1888. It was one of

1221-583: Was born near Toulouse in Muret , Haute-Garonne , and died in Toulouse. He is remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation . In 1870 he was also one of the pioneers in the sport of cycling in France. Ader was an innovator in electrical and mechanical engineering . He originally studied electrical engineering , and in 1878 improved on the telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell . After this he established

1258-577: Was organized in the summer of 1890; around 800 people at the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga listened to a telephonic transmission of The Charge of the Light Brigade conducted at Madison Square Garden . The Andrew Crumey novel Mr Mee (2000) has a chapter depicting the installation of a théâtrophone in the home of Marcel Proust . The Eça de Queiroz novel A Cidade e as Serras (1901) mentions

1295-474: Was relayed by the US naval attaché in Paris and was followed by the first trials in the United States in November 1910. An airplane-carrying vessel is indispensable. These vessels will be constructed on a plan very different from what is currently used. First of all the deck will be cleared of all obstacles. It will be flat, as wide as possible without jeopardizing the nautical lines of the hull, and it will look like

1332-510: Was simple, aided by machine production, working hours short and vacation time long. The new economic basis of society effectively remade human nature itself in Bellamy's idyllic vision, with greed, maliciousness, untruthfulness, and insanity all relegated to the past. Bellamy's book inspired legions of readers to establish so-called Nationalist Clubs , beginning in Boston late in 1888. His vision of

1369-659: Was the first two-channel audio system, and consisted of a series of telephone transmitters connected from the stage of the Paris Opera to a suite of rooms at the Paris Electrical Exhibition, where the visitors could hear Comédie-Française and opera performances in stereo using two headphones; the Opera was located more than two kilometers away from the venue. In a note dated 11 November 1881, Victor Hugo describes his first experience of théâtrophone as pleasant. In 1884,

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