A lot of thought went into these little devices.
A music box works by rotating a metal cylinder with protruding pins that pluck the individual prongs of a steel comb. The sounds that resonate from the vibrating prongs are the notes we hear—lower notes from longer prongs and higher notes from shorter ones. Some more complicated music boxes even contained a small drum or little bells. musical safari cot mobile
Music boxes have been around since the 18th century. Some were the size of a loaf of bread, others as big as a dresser. Back then, music boxes were actually used to enjoy some nice parlor music, unlike the little twirling ballerina box you might find in your grandmother's attic. In the 19th century, Swiss artisan watchmakers continually refined the design. What we have today is the result of hundreds of years of tinkering with gears and bells and pins and steel combs.
The trusty "Engineer Guy" Bill Hammack explains exactly how these little boxes work and discusses a bit of their history in his latest video, which is well worth a watch for both the mechanically and musically minded.
Jay Bennett is the associate editor of PopularMechanics.com. He has also written for Smithsonian, Popular Science and Outside Magazine.
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