Oldest recording predates the phonograph

[NaturalMystik]

The short song was captured on April 9, 1860 by a phonautograph, a device created by a Parisian inventor, Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville.

The device etched representations of sound waves into paper covered in soot from a burning oil lamp.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7318180.stm

Pretty wild! Someone recorded sound before there was technology to play it, now we finally can hear it! The person in the audio makes quick reference to being able to use their technology to get sound recordings from cylinders! I can't help but think of ancient Sumerian type cylinders. Maybe they recorded sound on them?

[Mark]

Now that is cool.

There is also a hypothesis that the Turin shroud could have been an early attempt at photography...

[NaturalMystik]

I've never seen the shroud before. Interesting...

[Mark]

Apparently it got carbon dated some time ago and was shown to be 600 years old (I think), so nothing to do with Jesus, but maybe a clever fake by some alchemists with some knowledge of photochemistry.