Selon Wikipedia Charles Cros n'a fait qu'annoncer la possibilité de construire une machine apte à enregistrer et reproduire les sons. Edison lui a inventé (indépendament) la machine et il l'a bel et bien construite :
Charles Cros, a French scientist, produced a theory (April 18, 1877) concerning a phonograph, but he did not manufacture a working model. His theory was submitted to the French Academy of Sciences, and was read to the public in December 1877, by which time Edison had produced a working model. Cros and Edison apparently discovered their theories independently.
[^] # Re: Et Charles Cros alors ?
Posté par patrick_g (site web personnel) . En réponse au journal Thomas Edison battu par un français !. Évalué à 5.
Charles Cros, a French scientist, produced a theory (April 18, 1877) concerning a phonograph, but he did not manufacture a working model. His theory was submitted to the French Academy of Sciences, and was read to the public in December 1877, by which time Edison had produced a working model. Cros and Edison apparently discovered their theories independently.