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
- Scientific notation
- 1.877 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M D C C C L X X V I I
Binary
1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
1 × 1,024 + 1 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 0 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 1 × 1 = 1,877
Octal
3 5 2 5
3 × 512 + 5 × 64 + 2 × 8 + 5 × 1 = 1,877
Hexadecimal
7 5 5
7 × 256 + 5 × 16 + 5 × 1 = 1,877
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 512 + 256 + 64 + 16 + 4 + 1 = 1,877.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 8 coils of rope, 7 hobbles, 7 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 8 × 100 + 7 × 10 + 7 × 1 = 1,877. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
3 corner wedges + 1 vertical wedge (sixties place), 1 corner wedge + 7 vertical wedges (units place)
31 × 60 + 17 = 1877. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Systems that simply cannot reach this value are left out. Where a script needs a font most readers do not have, the reading is given instead of the glyphs — see number systems for each system in full.
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
- Twin prime
Related numbers & connections
1877 is a year in the 19th century, in the 1870s.
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
In 1877, Edison recorded and played back sound on a phonograph, and the first Wimbledon championship was played (United States and England).
DocumentedTechnology & computingGeography: United States and EnglandPeriod: 1877Edison 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: 2 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026