Early Records

In 1887, Emil Berliner invented the flat disc record. The earliest records were recorded and played back acoustically, often with a hand crank and horn to amplify the sound. The size and speed of the discs varied widely, but by 1910 most records were recorded at about 78 to 80 rpm. The first records were made from shellac, a natural resin created by female lac bugs. 

Standardization

In 1912, the Gramophone Company set 78rpm as their recording standard, and by 1925, it was becoming standardized across the industry. In 1925, 78.26 rpm was chosen as a standard for motorized phonographs because it was suitable for most existing records and could be easily achieved using a standard 3600-rpm motor and 46-tooth gear (78.26 = 3600/46). Thus these records became known as 78s (or “seventy-eights”) when I need to distinguish between 45s and LPs was needed.

Other Info

Following the stock market crash of Oct’ 29, record companies saw their business drop more than 90% (100M+ in ’29 to less than 10M records made in ’33). Nearly all the independent labels folded.  

In 1942, The War Production Board imposed strict rations on shellac, curtailing the number of records that could be manufactured, a 70% cut in the production of new records. Also, a public appeal was launched calling for the donation of old discs to be recycled and sent to troops to boost morale.

In ’48, the first 45pm records are pressed, marking the beginning of the decline of 78s. The date of the very last 78rpm record pressed is not known. Chess Records was the last major US label to press a 78 (Chess 1747, 2/1960). Collectors have found smaller independent label 78s records pressed through the mid 1960’s, presumably for the jukebox market.