28 January: National Kazoo Day

Today is National Kazoo Day. 10 things you might not know about kazoos.

1. A kazoo is a small musical instrument played by humming, singing or speaking into the mouthpiece rather than blowing. Its shape resembles that of a Submarine with holes at both ends and another in a raised cylinder on top, in which there is a vibrating membrane. Its popularity lies in the fact that anyone who can hum or sing could pick one up and play it right away.
2. It is based on an instrument called a mirliton, which was used by African tribes to disguise their voices during religious ceremonies. Those instruments were typically made from Cows’ horns and Spider egg casings.
3. The story regarding the invention of the modern day kazoo was that it was invented by an African-American man named Alabama Vest in the 1840s. He drew up the plans for the instrument and had it made by a German clockmaker named Thaddeus Von Clegg. They took their instrument to the Georgia State Fair in 1852 where they called it the “Down-South Submarine.” There is no documentation to support this story, however.
4. The first patent for a kazoo was registered in 1902 by George D Smith from New York. The method for large-scale kazoo manufacture was developed by Emil Sorg and Michael McIntyre. The latter patented the process in 1923.
5. The name "kazoo" is thought to have been given to the instrument by Warren Frost in 1883, possibly an onomatopoeia of the sound it makes.
6. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, kazoos often features in popular music. The first professional music recording to feature one was by the Original Dixieland Jass (or Jazz) Band, in the song Crazy Blues in 1921. Another popular band of the time who used kazoos was The Mound City Blue Blowers.
7. While the kazoo later fell out of popularity where professional musicians were concerned, becoming an instrument mainly used for comedy songs, a few modern day artists have used them. The Beatles song Lovely Rita and Jimi Hendrix's song Crosstown Traffic both feature kazoos. In 1961, kazoos featured in a scene in the film How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
8. There is even at least one person famous for playing the kazoo, even being dubbed a “kazoo virtuoso”. Barbara Stewart she started out as a classically trained singer and later formed a quartet called “Kazoophony.” She appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall in London. There, in 2011, she led her audience of 3,910 in a world record breaking kazoo ensemble.
9. There is a kazoo museum in Beaufort, Carolina, which opened in 2010.
10. Finally, not forgetting the small number of people in the world for whom Kazoo is their first name. There aren't many of them - less than five people are given the name each year. The first person to be named Kazoo was born in August 1916.

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