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Alexander Graham Bell would be the first person to invent the harmonic telegraph on March 10, 1876. However, Martin Cooper would be the person that led to where we are today, producing the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X in 1983. It would be the first commercially available cell phone small enough to be easily carried, and it made the first phone call. Thanks to Martin Cooper's hard work, it has truly inspired other companies to make powerful and advanced cell phones of their own, such as Apple, Samsung, and many more.

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1876 (Alexander Graham Bell Harmonic telegraph) 

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1876 (Alexander Graham Bell Harmonic telegraph) 

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What started off from a highly successful system, the telegraph, with its dot-and-dash Morse code, began a journey to developing a device that would transmit speech electrically. While the telegraph was able to send messages, it was basically limited to receiving and sending one message at a time through two different signal durations. However, with the help from Thomas Watson, they were able to make the birth of the telephone on March 10, 1876.

Cultural Impact - With the birth of the telephone, it would mark the death of the multiple telegraphs as well. The communications potential contained in his demonstration of being able to "talk with electricity" far outweighed anything that simply increasing the capability of a dot-and-dash system could imply.

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Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone in 2007

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Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone in 2007

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In this introduction excerpt from the Macworld San Francisco 2007 Keynote Address held on January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple, presents the iPhone. At the time, this was a huge breakthrough towards technology and cell phones that it was considered a “revolutionary mobile phone”. The iPhone was able to take photos, play music, search the web, and make phone calls all in one device! No other device on the market could do what it did. In its first 2 days, it sold about 270,000 units.

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1894 (Oliver Lodge demonstrates wireless communication over a distance of 150 yards)

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1894 (Oliver Lodge demonstrates wireless communication over a distance of 150 yards)

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Experimenting with electromagnetic waves, Lodge successfully generated radio waves from circuitry. He revamped the Coherer (a device when electrodes would clump together when triggered by radio waves) and by doing this a bell would ring every time a transmission was received. His patent of 1898 outlined a device that could "transmit messages across space" between people in various locations.

Social/Cultural Impact - Although with its limited communication, Oliver Lodge proved that we were able to communicate with anyone without any limitations.

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1930 (AT&T created a two-way video telephone called the Iconophone) 

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1930 (AT&T created a two-way video telephone called the Iconophone) 

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Although it took a room full of space, the Iconophone would let people see, hear, and reply to each other in real time. AT&T would later develop the Picturephone during the 1960s, a better version of the Iconophone.  (Alexander Graham Bell was the Co-founder of AT&T!)
Social Impact- From dot-and-dash morse code to speaking one on one, people were now able to talk like they would face to face!

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1956 (The laying of transatlantic telephone cables begins)

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1956 (The laying of transatlantic telephone cables begins)

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The 1956 opening of the first transatlantic telephone cable system, TAT-1, marked the beginning of the modern era of cable communications. Stretching over 2,500 nautical miles over the ocean would allow us to communicate with people in European countries, then eventually the rest of the world. It was made possible through the efforts of engineers at AT&T Bell Laboratories and BPO.

Social/Political - More people are able to connect with each other in other countries, especially the government with one another.

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The Motorola DynaTAC 8000x was the first portable cellular phone to become commercially available. Despite the challenge of creating such a device, the team at Motorola was able to break down old barriers (such as the size, weight and limited use), allowing immediate contact from anywhere which ushered in a new era of portable communications.

Social Impact- Being the first commercially available cell phone to the public, it allowed more people to be connected to one another. However, the initial impact was limited due to the factors such as cost and network availability, costing $3,995.

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Historical Background: Source1 Source2

1876 (Alexander Graham Bell Harmonic telegraph): Source1 Source2

1894 (Oliver Lodge demonstrates wireless communication over a distance of 150 yards): Source1 Source2 Source3

1930 (AT&T created a two-way video telephone called the Iconophone): Source1 Source2

1956 (The laying of transatlantic telephone cables begins): Source1 Source2

1983 (Motorola DynaTAC 8000x): Source1 Source2 Source3

1992 (The world's first commercial text message): Source1 Source2 Source3

1993 (The IBM Simon is released): Source1 Source2

1999 (Blackberry Craze):  Source1 Source2 Source3

Zimmerman Telegram - Alexander Graham Bell's Telegraph: Source1

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1992 (The world's first commercial text message)

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1992 (The world's first commercial text message)

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The first SMS message was sent on December 3, 1992, when Neil Papworth, a Sema Group test engineer, texted "Merry Christmas" to colleague Richard Jarvis' Orbitel 901. SMS became commercially available on many cellular networks throughout that decade and quickly gained popularity as a way of text communication around the world.

Social Impact- Texting wasn't as popular as calling in 1992 due to its complicated layout and confusing interface (the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 number pad). Gradually, phones were able to adapt to better accommodate messaging and with the help of touch screen keyboards, it became more popular.

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The IBM Simon is widely recognized as one of the first devices that can be referred to as a "smartphone" due to its unique PDA (personal digital assistant) with communication capabilities when connected to a cellular network. A "computer that could fit in your shirt pocket" would cost $899 and feature a digital touch screen.

Cultural Impact - The norm was starting to change for phones. The IBM Simon had a slim and small design compared to the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x brick phone and featured a digital touch screen you can use with your hand.

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On January 19, 1999, the first BlackBerry pager, the BlackBerry 850, was released. BlackBerry cellphones go on to drive spectacular growth for startup Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM), which dominated the US smartphone market for much of the 2000s. The cell phones were praised for their advanced security measures, efficient email interaction and dependable messaging capabilities.

Social Impact - BlackBerry cellphones became a status symbol, with significant corporate and political personalities showing off the popular smartphones. They were regarded as the gold standard for mobile communication at the time, and their smartphones were in high demand around the world. BlackBerry dominated the market, especially in North America.

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A photograph of Alexander Graham Bell in New York calling Chicago on the telephone, 1892.

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A photograph of Alexander Graham Bell in New York calling Chicago on the telephone, 1892.

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In this photo, Alexander Graham Bell would be making a call in New York, calling Chicago on the telephone. This demonstrates the advances he made and making use of the telephone. Without his studies or his thoughts with electricity, we may not of had the smartphones we have now.

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A photograph of Alexander Graham Bell in New York calling Chicago on the telephone, 1892.

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The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America's libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

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Zimmerman Telegraph - Alexander Graham Bell's Telegraph

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Zimmerman Telegraph - Alexander Graham Bell's Telegraph

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In January 1917, British cryptographers decrypted a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to Heinrich von Eckhardt, the German Minister to Mexico, offering the United States territory in exchange for Mexico's support for Germany. This letter helped drive the United States into the war, changing the course of history. This can be related to the telegraph Alexander Graham Bell made before where you would need to use Morse code to communicate with one another and decipher the message on what the other person is saying to understand the message.