You may be surprised to discover that not everyone wants to hear your music. Fortunately, there is a very useful invention that can help – headphones. Of course, you are familiar with headphones, but do you know how long they have been around?

The first commercially successful set was designed by Nathaniel Baldwin in 1910 in the United States. He made them in his kitchen and then he sold them to the American navy. But letters written by Baldwin show that they probably weren't the first. It is possible that the first headphones were created in the 1880s and worn by telephone operators. As the telephone moved into more people's homes, the telephone companies started to offer a new service: people could pay and listen to shows from theaters. They phoned a special number, then the operator connected them to the theater. They put on their headset, which was worn under the head, not over, and listened to the opera or a play from their homes. People liked the feeling that they were at the theater.

Headphones continued to develop during the 20th century and the quality of the sound got better and better. From the 1980s, earphones became very popular. They are small and light and worn in the ear. But they can fall out. Also, wearers can often hear other noises, so they increase the volume and that can be bad for the ear. The latest fashion is for really big headphones. Small is out – designer headphones are in. But whatever type you wear – under, over, in your ear, big or small – headphones are something most of us can't live without.