| 1877 | First sound recording made and reproduced by Thomas A. Edison, a recitation of Mary Had A Little Lamb. |
| 1888 | The Gramophone, a machine that made recordings on a flat disc, is demonstrated by American inventor Emile Berliner. |
| 1898 | Magnetic recording developed by Danish inventor Valdemar Poulsen. |
| 1931 | Stereophonic disc recording patented by English inventor Alan D. Blumlein. |
| 1933 | Bell Labs transmits first stereo sound, a symphony concert, over phone lines from Philadelphia to Washington. |
| 1940 | Stereophonic concept of multiple sound first put to memorable use in Walt Disney's Fantasia. |
| 1954 | Stereophonic tape recordings appeared in home playback equipment. |
| 1958 | Stereophonic disc developed from vertical-lateral groove technology. |
| 1961 | Stereophonic broadcasting begun. |
| 1969 | Quadraphonic recording introduced. |
| 1970 | Virtually entire disc industry changed over to stereo by this time. |