Blues Roots Emerging in the American South in the late 1800s, blues music evolved from spirituals and work songs, forming the base for many modern genres. Birth of Jazz New Orleans is considered the birthplace of jazz, a genre that blended ragtime, blues, and brass band traditions in the early 20th century. Rock Explosion Rock and roll rose in the 1950s with artists like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, bringing amplified energy and youth rebellion to mainstream music. Hip-Hop Emerges Hip-hop was born in the Bronx during the 1970s as a cultural movement combining rapping, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art.

Best Selling Single Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" holds the record as the best-selling single, with over 50 million copies sold worldwide. Longest Concert Canadian band "Eric Aubier and Friends" played for 437 hours straight in 2017, setting a Guinness record for the longest concert by multiple artists. Youngest Chart-Topper Stevie Wonder became the youngest artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 at age 13 with "Fingertips Part 2" in 1963.

Healing Sounds Studies show that music therapy can reduce anxiety, improve mood, and aid recovery in stroke and dementia patients. Brain Boost Learning an instrument has been linked to higher IQ and better memory retention, especially in young children. Memory Trigger Songs from a person's youth often activate deep emotional memories, a phenomenon sometimes used to treat Alzheimer's.

Theremin Invented in 1920, the theremin is played without touch by moving hands near metal antennas that control pitch and volume. Glass Harmonica Created by Benjamin Franklin in 1761, the glass harmonica uses spinning glass bowls to produce haunting tones. Singing Tesla Coil Modified Tesla coils can produce musical tones by modulating high-voltage sparks, effectively creating songs from electricity.

Banned Broadcasts Radio stations have banned songs for profanity, political messages, or misinterpretation, including "Lola" by The Kinks and "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Backmasking Panic In the 1980s, some believed hidden satanic messages could be heard in songs played backward, sparking moral panic. Message in Music Protest songs like Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" or Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" became anthems of social change.

Analog to Digital Vinyl gave way to cassettes, then CDs, and eventually digital files, transforming how music is produced and consumed. Auto-Tune Effect Developed in 1997, Auto-Tune became a defining sound of the 2000s, altering pitch and creating robotic vocal effects. Streaming Era Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music now dominate, accounting for over 80 percent of all music revenue by the 2020s.

First Song Recorded The first known recorded song is "Au Clair de la Lune" captured in 1860 by Edouard-Leon Scott using a phonautograph. First MTV Video MTV launched in 1981 with "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles as the first music video ever broadcast. First Digital Album Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" (1985) was among the first fully digital recordings and helped popularize the CD format.

Silent Symphony Composer John Cage's "4'33" consists of four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence, performed live with no notes played. Space Playlist The Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977 with a Golden Record containing music from Earth, including Bach and Chuck Berry. Bird Music Musician David Rothenberg performs duets with birds in nature, improvising with their calls using flutes and clarinets.