Jukebox 123 Years Old

On this day 123 years ago the first Jukebox was installed in Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. It was a coin-operated Edison cylinder phonograph that had no amplification, once you put your nickel in the slot you listened through one of four listening tubes. Patrons were given towels to wipe off the end of the tube when finished listening. The devise was a money maker, bringing in over $1,000 in the first six months and the jukebox became an overnight sensation and popular worldwide.

The machine’s original name was ‘nickel-in-the-slot-player’, named by the man that installed it in the Palais Royale Saloon. It became known as the jukebox later, but the origin of the name is not really known.

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