Fascinating facts about
Alexander Graham Bell inventor of the telephone in 1876.
Alexander Graham Bell
AT A GLANCE:
Alexander Graham Bell, American inventor and teacher of the
deaf, most famous for his invention of the telephone. Since the age of
18, Bell had been working on the idea of transmitting speech. In 1874,
while working on a multiple telegraph, he developed the basic ideas for
the telephone. His experiments with his assistant Thomas Watson finally
proved successful on March 10, 1876, when the first complete sentence
was transmitted: "Watson, come here; I want you.".
DID YOU KNOW?
Alexander Graham Bell
||First practical. Modern
3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland
2, 1922, at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada
telephone on March 10, 1876
instrument which converts sound,
specifically the human voice, to electrical impulses of various
frequencies and then back to a tone that sounds like the original
(US) issued March 7, 1876 filed February 14, 1876
161,739 (US) issued April 6, 1875 filed March 6, 1875
Bell founded a school for deaf-mutes in Boston, Massachusetts
1874 while working on a multiple telegraph, he developed the basic ideas
for the telephon
1875 files first patent for telegraphy
1876 when the first
complete sentence was transmitted
formed Bell Telephone Company to operate local telephone exchange
the photophone, which transmits speech by light rays
acquired a controlling interest in the Western Electric Company,
Elisha Gray's company
1885 formed American Telephone and Telegraph Company to operate the long
wax recording cylinder, introduced, formed the basis of the modern
1896 elected first President of National Geographic Society
1907 he devised a kite capable of carrying a person. With a group of
1917 developed "hydrodrome," at (70 mph) the fastest boat in the world
for many years
CAPs: Bell, Alexander Graham Bell, Telephone, Bell Telephone
Company, AT&T, Bell Labs, Western Electric,
Antonio Meucci, Philip Reis,
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Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and educated
at the universities of Edinburgh and London. He immigrated to Canada in 1870 and to the
United States in 1871. In the United States he began teaching deaf-mutes, publicizing the
system called visible speech. The system, which was developed by his father, the Scottish
educator Alexander Melville Bell, shows how the lips, tongue, and throat are used in the
articulation of sound.
In 1872 Bell founded a school for deaf-mutes in Boston,
Massachusetts. The school subsequently became part of Boston University, where Bell was
appointed professor of vocal physiology. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1882.
Since the age of 18, Bell had been working on the idea of transmitting
speech. In 1874, while working on a multiple telegraph, he developed the
basic ideas for the telephone. His experiments with his assistant Thomas
Watson finally proved successful on March 10, 1876, when the first complete
sentence was transmitted: "Watson, come here; I want you." Subsequent
demonstrations, particularly one at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, introduced the telephone to the world.
He improved the results with a series of experiments over the next few
months, including a critical test with this instrument on November 26. That
day he transmitted sound clearly over a wire between Cambridge and Salem,
Massachusetts. This design, used for both the transmitter and the receiver,
became standard for the commercial instruments introduced in 1877.
In 1877, Bell and his investors
Gardiner Hubbard and Thomas
Sanders formed the Bell Telephone Company to operate local
telephone exchange operations.In 1882, American Bell acquired a
controlling interest in the Western Electric Company, which became its
manufacturing unit. The American Telephone and Telegraph Company was
incorporated on March 3, 1885 as a wholly owned subsidiary of American
Bell, chartered to build and operate the original long distance
In 1880 France bestowed on Bell the Volta
Prize, worth 50,000 francs, for his invention. With this money he founded the Volta
Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where, in that same year, he and his associates invented
the photophone, which transmits speech by light rays. Other inventions include the
audiometer, used to measure acuity in hearing; the induction balance, used to locate metal
objects in human bodies; and the first wax recording cylinder, introduced in 1886. The
cylinder, together with the flat wax disc, formed the basis of the modern phonograph.
After 1895 Bell's interest turned mostly to
aeronautics. Many of his inventions in this area were first tested near his summer home at
Baddeck on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. His study of flight began with the
construction of large kites, and in 1907 he devised a kite capable of carrying a person.
With a group of associates, including the American inventor and aviator Glenn Hammond
Curtiss, Bell developed the aileron, a movable section of an airplane wing that controls
roll. They also developed the tricycle landing gear, which first permitted takeoff and
landing on a flying field.
Applying the principles of aeronautics to marine propulsion,
his group started work on hydrofoil boats, which travel above the water at high speeds.
His final full-sized "hydrodrome," developed in 1917, reached speeds in excess
of 113 km/h (70 mph) and for many years was the fastest boat in the world. He died on
August 2, 1922, at Baddeck, where a museum containing many of his original inventions is
maintained by the Canadian government.
The Entrepreneur from The Great Idea Finder
The Philanthropist from
The Great Idea Finder
Invention of the Telephone from The Great Idea Finder
from The Great Idea Finder
ON THE BOOKSHELF:
Bell: Making Connections
Naomi Pasachoff / Hardcover - 140 pages / Oxford University Press (1996)
This compelling biography of a true scientific visionary charts the course of
Bell's remarkable life, showing how his early studies of speech and sound and his
experience as an instructor of the deaf--the occupation that he considered to be his true
life's work--led to his invention.
Graham Bell: The Life and Times of the Man Who Invented the Telephone
Edwin S. Grosvenor, Morgan Wesson / Hardcover / Harry N Abrams (1997)
The telephone--his greatest accomplishment and a leading invention of the 19th
century--represented only one element in his long and restless career.
by Sarah Gearhart, Toby Welles (Illustrator) / School & Library Binding: 80 pages /
The telephone revolutionized long-distance communication by allowing people to
speak with each other quickly, clearly, and affordably. Today, you can send and receive
information from virtually anywhere using a wireless telephone, faxes, or E-mail, thanks
to Bell's invention of the telephone.
by Tom L. Matthews, Gilbert M. Grosvenor / Hardcover: 64 pages / National Geographic Soc.
The primary focus is Bell's inventions, however, the book also tells of his other
main interests: his family and the education of the deaf.
ON THE SCREEN:
Graham Bell (1939)
Black & White / Closed-captioned / NTSC / Rated: NR / ASIN: 6303957013 / Less than $20
Starring: Don Ameche
Alexander Graham Bell: Voice of Invention
DVD / 1 Volume Set / 50 Minutes / Biography Channel / Less than $25.00
Alexander Graham Bell left his mark on the world with the invention of
the telephone. But he might have been a footnote in history if not for
his lawyer, who filed for the patent a mere two hours before his rival
Elisha Gray, who had also unraveled the mysteries of communicating by
DVD / 1 Volume Set / 50 Minutes / History Channel / Less than $25.00
Undeniably essential to modern life, the telephone is the most
important, influential, and effective communication tool ever developed.
Exploring how one man's speaking device has grown into the technological
web that links humankind, this thrilling program also revisits the race
between Bell and rival Elisha Gray—who was building a similar design but
ultimately filed the history-changing patent just two hours after Bell.
ON THE WEB:
Graham Bell - His Company
The popular BrainSpin series at AT&T explores who was Alexander Graham Bell
Bell Family Papers
The online version of the Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers at the Library of Congress
will comprise a selection of approximately 4700 items (totaling about 38,000 images).
From the Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia.
Inventors Hall of Fame
Alexander Graham Bell was inducted in 1974 for his invention
"Telegraphy", Patent No. 174,465
Alexander Graham Bell Institute
The insitiute is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and his work.
Dimension - Inventor of he Week
Feature in 2000 for his invention of the Telephone.
Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf
Established in 1890 to empower persons who are hearing impaired to function independently
Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame
To be known just for my invention of the
telephone causes me a certain degree of sorrow.
The actual history of the telephone is a subject
of complex dispute. The controversy began with the success of the invention
and continues today. Some of the inventors credited with inventing the
telephone include Antonio Meucci, Philip Reis, Elisha Gray
and Alexander Graham Bell.
WORDS OF WISDOM:
and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds."
- Alexander Graham Bell
"Watson, come here; I want you." -
Alexander Graham Bell,
complete sentence transmitted
DID YOU KNOW?:
- Bell was one of the
cofounders of the National Geographic Society, and he served as its
president from 1896 to 1904. He also founded the Journal of Science in
- When Alexander Graham Bell died on August 4, 1922, millions
of phones went dead. In Bell's honor, all phones served by the Bell System in the USA and
Canada went silent for one minute.
- Long before Alexander Graham Bell filed
a patent application in 1875, Daniel Drawbaugh claimed to have invented
the telephone. But since he had no journal or record, the Supreme Court
rejected his claims by four votes to three. Alexander Graham Bell had
excellent records and was awarded the patent for the telephone.
- Bell was granted 18 patents in his name,
and 12 he shared with collaborators
Sources in BOLD Type.
page revised May 9, 2006.
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