Berliner, Emile (1851–1929)

German-born inventor. An apprentice printer before he emigrated to the USA in 1870, Berliner became chief inspector of the Bell Telephone Company, and from 1876 onwards, patented a series of improvements to Alexander Graham Bell's telephone. In 1888 Berliner introduced the first flat disc recording, a marked improvement over Thomas Edison's recording cylinders. He developed the first acoustic tiles in 1915.