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Did you know the headphones were not invented for music? # Inventor Nathaniel Baldwin created first pair in his kitchen 1910, but it was leisurely listening.
Remarkably, Baldwin's invention was initially used by the US Navy. Balwin sent a prototype to the Navy, which ordered 100 pairs without even testing them. Afterwards, headphones slowly started to invade the public space, with the first commercial pair released in 1958. Believe it or not, before the introduction of the microphone, operators would shout into a telephone transmitter for clear communication line. Interestingly, Emile Berliner invented the microphone in 1876 to replace the "shouter" technology in telephones. Thereafter, telephones and broadcasting equipment evolved, paving the way for better communication methods. Hence, the headphones and the microphone, two modern-day leisure and communication staples, have both humble and practical origins.

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