Just about anybody in recorded history could have created the phonograph. It's a dead simple concept, even the Mesopotamians probably could have managed it, al

Just about anybody in recorded history could have created the phonograph. It's a dead simple concept, even the Mesopotamians probably could have managed it, all you need is a needle (probably could be bone), something to scratch lines into with it (wax for instance, maybe the clay they used for tablets), and some sort of diaphragm (leather should work nicely). Just imagine, we could have voice recordings of Alexander the Great, or Gautama Buddha.... that would be fucking wild. Nobody did it until Edison in the late 19th century. Why? Because the idea of doing something is in most cases more elusive than the ability to do so.