QUEBEC-RESEARCH-L Archives

Archiver > QUEBEC-RESEARCH > 2004-11 > 1101211473


From:
Subject: Jukebox Day
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 07:04:33 EST


Tuesday, November 23, 2004
JUKEBOX DAY

(http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/1999-12-01/riffraff.html) The first ‘
Nickel-in-the-Slot’ (jukebox) was placed in service on this day in 1889 in the
Palais Royal Saloon in San Francisco, California. Juke, at the time, was a slang
word for a a disorderly house, or house of ill repute.
The unit, developed by Louis T. Glass, contained an Edison tinfoil
phonograph with four listening tubes. There was a coin slot for each tube. 5 cents
bought a few minutes of music. The contraption took in $1,000 in six months!
Wow! And this was before Elvis, the Beach Boys, Motown, and the Beatles,
too!

This thread: