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Alexander Graham Bell was the first person to patent the telephone, on Mar 10, 1876.

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Birthplace

Alexander Graham Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 3, 1847. Bell's father was a professor of speech elocution at the University of Edinburgh and his mother, despite being deaf, was an accomplished pianist.

Young Alexander was an intellectually curious child who studied piano and began inventing things at an early age. Both of his brothers passed away from tuberculosis by the time Bell was in his early twenties.

Education

Initially, Bell's education consisted of homeschooling. Bell didn't excel academically, but he was a problem solver from an early age.

When he was just 12, the young Alexander invented a device with rotating paddles and nail brushes that could quickly remove husks from wheat grain to help improve a farming process. At age 16, Bell began studying the mechanics of speech.

He went on to attend Royal High School and the University of Edinburgh. In 1870, Bell, along with his family, moved to Canada. The following year, he settled in the United States.

While in the United States, Bell implemented a system his father developed to teach deaf children called "visible speech"-a set of symbols that represented speech sounds.

In 1872, he opened the School of Vocal Physiology and Mechanics of Speech in Boston, where deaf people were taught to speak. At age 26, the budding inventor became Professor of Vocal Physiology and Elocution at the Boston University School of Oratory, even though he didn't have a university degree.

While teaching, Bell met Mabel Hubbard, a deaf student. The couple married on July 11, 1877. They went on to have four children, including two sons who died as infants.

When Was the Telephone Invented?

In 1871, Bell started working on the harmonic telegraph - a device that allowed multiple messages to be transmitted over a wire at the same time. While trying to perfect this technology, which was backed by a group of investors, Bell became preoccupied with finding a way to transmit human voice over wires.

By 1875, Bell, with the help of his partner Thomas Watson, had come up with a simple receiver that could turn electricity into sound.

Other scientists, including Antonio Meucci and Elisha Gray, were working on similar technologies, and there's some debate over who should be credited with the invention of the telephone. It's said that Bell raced to the patent office to be the first to secure the rights to the discovery.

On March 7, 1876, Bell was granted his telephone patent. A few days later, he made the first-ever telephone call to Watson, allegedly uttering the now-famous phrase, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you."

By 1877, the Bell Telephone Company, which today is known as AT&T, was created. In 1915, Bell made the first transcontinental phone call to Watson from New York City to San Francisco.

Did you know? Alexander Graham Bell refused to have a telephone in his study, fearing it would distract him from his scientific work.

Legal Headaches

The inventor faced a nearly 20-year legal battle with other scientists, including Gray and Meucci, who claimed they created telephone prototypes prior to Bell's patent.

In 1887, the U.S. government moved to withdraw the patent issued to Bell, but after a series of rulings, the Bell company won in a Supreme Court decision. While the Bell Company faced over 550 court challenges, in the end, none were successful.

Inventions and Accomplishments

In addition to the telephone, Bell worked on hundreds of projects throughout his career and received patents in various fields. Some of his other notable inventions were:

The metal detector: Bell initially came up with this device to locate a bullet inside of assassinated President James A. Garfield.

Photophone: The photophone allowed transmission of speech on a beam of light.

Graphophone: This improved version of the phonograph could record and play back sound.

Audiometer: This gadget was used to detect hearing problems.

In 1880, Bell was awarded the French Volta Prize, and with the money, he founded a facility devoted to scientific discovery, the Volta Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

Bell invented numerous techniques to help teach speech to the deaf and even worked with well-known author and activist Helen Keller. He also helped launch Science magazine, and from 1896 to 1904 served as president of the National Geographic Society.

Quotes by Bell

While Bell is typically known for what he invented, he's also remembered for what he said and wrote. Some famous quotes attributed to Bell include:

* "When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."

* "A man's own judgment should be the final appeal in all that relates to himself."

* "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."

* "Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to focus."

* "Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds."

* "The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion."

* "The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action."

* "You cannot force ideas. Successful ideas are the result of slow growth."

* "The inventor looks upon the world and is not contented with things as they are. He wants to improve whatever he sees, he wants to benefit the world; he is haunted by an idea. The spirit of invention possesses him, seeking materialization."

Death and Legacy

Bell died on August 2, 1922, at the age of 75 in Nova Scotia, Canada. The cause of his death was complications from diabetes. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

During Bell's funeral, every phone in North America was silenced to pay tribute to the inventor.

Today, the famous scientist is remembered for his groundbreaking work in sound technology and improving education for the deaf. His best-known invention, the telephone, forever changed the way humans communicate with each other.

Sources

Alexander Graham Bell. PBS.
History: Alexander Graham Bell. BBC.
Alexander Graham Bell. Famous Scientists.
Who is credited with inventing the telephone? Library of Congress.

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Alexander Graham Bell: Telephone & Inventions - HISTORY

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Alexander Graham Bell is known for his many inventions, especially the telephone and a metal detector. He later created the Bell Telephone Company, now AT&T.

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The first commercial telephone used by Alexander Graham Bell was based on his patent of January 1877. The telephone consisted of a single transmitter/receiver placed within a rectangular wooden box.

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In 1877 Bell designed the first set with a combined receiver and transmitter that could be held in on hand. It was made of wood and resembled a dairy butter stamp, hence its name.

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The Blake transmitter was the first successful telephone microphone. It was invented by Francis Blake in 1880.

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The search for better ways of transmitting the voice led to the development of this model which used a platinum diaphragm for better long-distance transmission.

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Lars Magnus Ericsson personally designed one of the world's most original and now most coveted standard telephones. It is a desk telephone in the form of a naked steel construction, with two black-lacquered inductor magnets, ingeniously curved and twisted into a stand.

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The early telephones were voice-powered. Then a wet battery was used which, though an improvement, sometimes resulted in acid on the carpet.

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This is a more modern version of the telephone with a built-in generator mechanism to provide current for signaling the operator. Almost exactly similar telephones were in general use from the late 1890's through the 1930's.

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The wall telephone is becoming more compact.

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The first dial telephone exchange is credited to Almon B. Strowger who introduced it in LaPorte, Indiana, in 1892.

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This telephone like the 1928 set came with or without dial and resembled its predecessor except that instead of a round base it had an elliptical or oval base.

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Here is an early model of a widely used business telephone, with one "hold" button and five others for calling, signaling or access to other extensions.

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First in the new "500" series, which later would include a variety of colors. Rugged and functional, the "500" is the most commonly used telephone in the United States.

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The telephone returns to the wall in this companion piece to the "500" desk set. Designed for convenience, the wall set is most often used in the kitchen where counter and table space is at a premium.

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For the person who makes a lot of calls, or takes a lot of calls This is the most advanced and flexible telephone ever offered to business!

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Latest in the line of wall telephones, the Panel Phone mounts flush with the wall. A special feature is a retractable handset cord that winds up automatically within the set.

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Latest in the line telephones is the 12 button Touch-Tone Trimline set which combines handset and pushbuttons in one lightweight unit.

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Martin Cooper places the first cellular mobile call to Joel Engle, a rival at Bell Labs. The first cell phone took a year to recharge, and the maximum talk time was only 30 minutes.

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Cordless phones first appeared around 1980. The earliest cordless phones operated at a frequency of 27 MHz.

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Only a few years after "The Brick" is released, Motorola develops the lightest cellular device on the market, called the micro-TAC.

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The earliest cordless phones operated at a frequency of 27 MHz. In 1994, digital cordless phones in the 900 MHz frequency range were introduced.

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VocalTec released the first ever Internet VoIP application in February 1995. The product was named Internet Phone.

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Skype Technologies, were founded by Niklas Zennström of Sweden and Janus Friis of Denmark. The number of registered users of Skype was about 50 million in 2005 and increased more than 10-fold to more than 600 million just five years later.

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The Bang & Olufsen BeoCom 5 ($TBA) might just be the world's best cordless telephone.

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Valentino Chow made the iDect boomerang stylish telephone

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The Philips FARO is a cordless home phone which combines elegant and uncompromising design with innovative, practical functionality.

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The Invoxia NVX 200 is an iPhone docking station disguised as a stylish desk phone. The handsome dark grey hardware is petite compared to most landline phones, featuring a rounded base measuring 7.25 inches across, 6.125 inches deep, and about an inch thick.

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This manual has all the feature operations and troubleshooting necessary to install and operate your new VTech telephone. Classic design, contemporary features.

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NetSource Technologies. (n.d.). History of the Telephone - ITPA. Itpa. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://www.nationalitpa.com/history-of-telephone

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Mitel Networks Corp. (n.d.-b). Attention Required! | Cloudflare. Mitel. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://www.mitel.com/articles/history-telephone?

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Aronson, A. (2020, October 31). 30 Photos That Show How Drastically Telephones Have Changed Over Time. Redbook. https://www.redbookmag.com/life/g27338220/how-telephones-have-changed-in-photos/