The microphone, a device crucial for capturing and transmitting sound, was independently developed in the 1870s by David Edward Hughes, Emile Berliner, and Thomas Edison, with Hughes credited by many historians for its invention. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Early Attempts & the "Liquid Transmitter":

Before the carbon microphone, Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray experimented with a "liquid transmitter" in early telephones, where a diaphragm was attached to a conductive rod in an acid solution, but this system produced poor sound quality. 

The Carbon Microphone:

The first microphone that enabled proper voice telephony was the carbon microphone, developed independently by David Edward Hughes in England and Emile Berliner and Thomas Edison in the US. 

David Edward Hughes:

Hughes, a British-American inventor and music professor, is credited by many historians as the inventor of the first carbon microphone, demonstrating a working device in front of witnesses years before any patents were filed. 

Emile Berliner:

Berliner, a German-born American inventor, also developed a carbon microphone and sold his patent to the Bell Telephone Company. 

Thomas Edison:

Edison also independently developed a carbon microphone and filed a patent, though he faced legal disputes with Berliner and Hughes. 

Commercial Success:

While Hughes demonstrated his device earlier, Berliner's microphone found commercial success through its use in Bell telephones, and Berliner became employed by Bell. 

Other Developments

In 1917 Edward Christopher Wente of Bell Laboratories developed the Condenser Microphone