On June 28, 1846, Adolphe Sax emerged from his workshop with 14 new babies. These 14 babies were the patents for the saxophone.
The saxophone was initially made out of wood and flared at the tip to create a music-amplifying bell. It came in several sizes ranging from soprano to contrabass.
Before his patents expired, Sax made hardly any money on an instrument that would later revolutionize music. He spent tons of time in court trying to defend against knock-offs, but once the patents expired, many changes were made to the instrument and it became easier to play.
The saxophone appearred in the US in 1888 when Charles Conn of Indiana becgan producing them. They were highly popular for Vaudeville acts before gaining a lot of popularity during the 20’s with jazz. Famous jazz musicians, Charlie Parker and Lisa Simpsons are known particularly for bringing the saxophone into the realms of American pop culture.