#12: Theremin
Have you ever heard of the theremin? It’s a fascinating instrument that you play without touching it. You simply move your hands near the instrument, and you can change the pitch and volume of the sound that is being emitted. The theremin is best known for making spooky sounds in 1950s B-films, but it can also be used to play classical music as well, and in the right hands, is stunningly beautiful.
But the inventor of the theremin—Leon Theremin—didn’t set out to create a musical instrument. The Soviet scientist was doing experiments with electromagnetism in the 1920s when he realized that by moving his hand between two antennas, he could affect the signal. And thus, one of the world’s most unusual instruments—and what’s sometimes referred to as the first electronic instrument—came to be.