Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 27, 2014

Do you know what is this?  You're right.  It's part of a phonograph, specifically one that Thomas Edison designed.  Now that we've established that, you're probably wondering why I've included something from the inventor who's more closely associated with New Jersey than Wyoming in a Wednesday in Wyoming post. 

A little known fact is that Edison visited Wyoming in 1878 to view a total solar eclipse and to test one of his new inventions, a tasimeter.  That was a new word to me, too, and my dictionary doesn't even include it.  According to the article I've linked below, the tasimeter was designed to measure small changes in temperature.  Unfortunately for Edison, the temperature changes were too great for his instrument to work properly, but he had an unforgettable visit to the Equality State.

You can find the whole story here:  
http://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/edison-light-bulb-and-eclipse-1878