The first Jukebox

November 23, 1889. One of the early forerunners to the modern Jukebox was the Nickel-in-the-Slot machine. In 1889, Louis Glass and William S. Arnold, placed a coin-operated Edison cylinder phonograph in the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco.

It was fitted with a coin mechanism patented by Glass and Arnold, and collected a nickel for each play. The machine had no amplification and patrons had to listen to the music using one of four listening tubes. The tubes operated individually, each being activated by the insertion of a coin, meaning that four different listeners could be plugged in to the same song simultaneously. Towels were supplied to patrons so they could wipe off the end of the tube after each listening.

In its first six months of service, the Nickel-in-the-Slot earned over $1000.

Initially, manufacturers did not call them "jukeboxes." They called them Automatic Coin-Operated Phonographs (or Automatic Phonographs, or Coin-Operated Phonographs). The term "jukebox" appeared in the 1930s and originated in the southern US. The term either derived from African-American slang "jook" meaning "dance", or a name given to it by critics who said it would encourage criminal behavior, referring to the fake family name "Juke."

Photo: Bettmann/Corbis 1889: The first jukebox is installed at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. It becomes an overnight sensation. and its popularity spreads around the world.