RECEIVERS AND RHAPSODIES
THE BIRTH OF STREAMING SOUND
We celebrate the late Steve Jobs of Apple and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek as innovators in the world of music streaming, but the true pioneer of how most of us enjoy tunes in 2025 is a man who died nearly a century ago. A lawyer by trade, Thaddeus Cahill (1867–1934) spent his free time as an innovator, a hobby that eventually led him to revolutionize sound. In
The instrument made its public debut in 1906 with the opening of Telharmonic Hall in New York City. Guests could grab one of the phone receivers placed throughout the venue and listen to the synthesized music Telharmonium operators were performing on the floor below. Soon, phone users embraced Cahill’s technology at theaters, eateries, hotels, and homes nationwide. Unfortunately, the system proved glitchy — the organ’s electronic tones interrupted ordinary phone users mid-conversation —
1897, he received a patent for the Telharmonium, a 200-ton organ created to turn telephones into what could be considered the world’s first iPods. Looking more like a NASA
and AT&T decided not to invest in Cahill’s impractical invention to expand its reach. That inconvenience, coupled with high manufacturing costs (each Telharmonium cost $200,000, a fortune then) and operational demands (it required 2–4 musicians to play), eventually led to declining popularity and the closing of Telharmonic Hall by 1920. Sadly, no surviving audio recordings of the Telharmonium are believed to exist, and its last known version was dismantled and scrapped in the early 1960s.
control board than a musical instrument, the Telharmonium used electromagnetic impulses to create sounds similar to those of modern synthesizers and transmit them over telephone networks, essentially making the “hold music” of its time. Although bulky, the invention captured the hearts of music
aficionados, including Mark Twain, who famously said, “I couldn’t possibly leave the world until I have heard this again and again.”
CELEBRITIES WHO ROSE AFTER 50
Success doesn’t have a deadline or an expiration date.
others to pursue their interests later in life. Similarly, actress Judi Dench worked in TV and theater for years before winning an Oscar in 1999 for her role in the film “Shakespeare in Love” at 64. From Pink Slip to Prosperity Being let go from a job is rarely a pleasant experience, but being fired from what was soon to become the most significant musical act in the world is a particularly crushing blow. That happened to British musician Pete Best when he was fired from his role as the drummer for a then-fledgling group called The Beatles. After being replaced by Ringo Starr in 1962, Best watched as his former bandmates conquered the world and sold millions of records. Although Best continued in the music industry, none of his efforts remotely matched his former band’s global glory. It would be over two decades after the band’s 1970 breakup before he’d earn big bucks
As people age, it’s common for many to feel regret that they didn’t accomplish their greatest dreams and aspirations in their younger years. However, history is filled with examples of people who found their ultimate fame and fortune well into middle age or beyond. Here are a few stories of celebrities who didn’t reach their most incredible heights until they were at least 50. Belated Milestones for Media Queens Before Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain became household names, the late Julia Child proved that what happened in the kitchen could affect pop culture. Although she revolutionized television by becoming arguably the world’s first celebrity chef, her initial career was in advertising. After teaching herself the fine art of cuisine, she published her first cookbook at 50, shining a guiding light for
from his time keeping the beat. A 1995 Beatles archival release called “Anthology 1” featured a handful of early band recordings that included Best. According to him, he received a payment for his performances that “wasn’t far short of a million” making him, at 54, perhaps the first person in history to receive a hefty severance check more than 30 years after his dismissal. Whether it’s through perseverance, reinvention, or a surprising twist of fate, these stories prove that success is always possible, no matter when it arrives.
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