When was the synthesizer invented?

The synthesizer was invented in 1876 by Elisha Gray, a prominent American electrical engineer. The synthesizer was only one of Gray's inventions as he also invented the telephone alongside Alexander Graham Bell, though he was not given the patented distinction.

The synthesizer is one of the earliest known electronic music devices. It works by creating sounds through a microchip that are then amplified via headphones or speakers. The synthesizer can create sounds that mimic other instruments such as the piano, the flute or the guitar as well as create new unique sounds. The first synthesizers available commercially were not created by Gray, but by Robert Moog in 1964.