1877
1877 is the year the phonograph was invented.
- Odd
- Prime
Where 1877 fits
Why 1877 is special
Edison's device recorded and played back sound, which nothing had done before. He initially proposed it for dictation and last words, and ranked entertainment low among its uses — a misjudgement about his own invention.
1877 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (2)
- 1, 1877
- Prime factorisation
- 1877
- Digit sum
- 23
- Digital root
- 5
Representations
- Decimal
- 1877
- Binary
- 11101010101
- Octal
- 3525
- Hexadecimal
- 755
- Roman numeral
- MDCCCLXXVII
- Scientific notation
- 1.877 × 10^3
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
- Twin prime
Related numbers & connections
The phonograph in 1877 and a workable incandescent lamp in 1879, both from Edison's laboratory. He misjudged the market for the first and did not invent the second.
View 1879 →Edison's phonograph of 1877 recorded sound by physical contact and the compact disc of 1982 replaced contact with a laser, ending a century of playback that degraded the recording.
View 1982 →Technology & computing
Edison listed dictation, audiobooks for the blind and recording the last words of the dying among the phonograph's purposes, with music well down the list. The recording industry that followed was not the application he was aiming at.
DocumentedTechnology & computingPeriod: 1877
Common questions
Is 1877 a prime number?
Yes, 1877 is prime — it has exactly two positive divisors: 1 and itself.
What are the factors of 1877?
The factors of 1877 are 1, 1877.
What is 1877 in Roman numerals?
1877 in Roman numerals is MDCCCLXXVII.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 1 reviewer-confirmed record, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 3 August 2026