Artifact
The telephone
The Invention
"Come here Mr. Watson, I want to see you!", - Alexander Graham Bell March 10, 1876
The business of providing telephone service was off and running soon after that fateful day Bell and Watson were demonstrating the instrument.
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas A. Watson
The First Test
Innovation
1878 - A manual switching board was introduced allowing many phones to be connected through a single exchange.
1880's - The first "metallic" circuits were installed.
1891 - "Automatic" dial phone instead of operators delaying calls.
The first Telephone
The goal was intended to be communication for the deaf, but years later it would become one of the most used way to communicate from a distance or even around the globe, it was a revolutionary invention.
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
Born to a wealthy family, he had access to good education, but was homeschooled instead.
At an early age, he assisted his father with numerous experiments on Visible Speech for deaf people, which also taught him many things.In 1871, he moved to Boston and began to make a device that would transfer several messages through a line, he partnered with Thomas Watson, who was a skilled elctrician, Bell would think of an idea and Watson would help him put it in action.
Though he created the first phone and had a patent, Bell would face many problems with other company trying to claim title for the phone, but amazingly, his company won all of their cases.
Bell later soon handed his company over to someone else, nearing the end of his life, he worked on several other projects and devoted his time to working with flight. He died peacefully beside his wife in 1922 at his summer home on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The North American phone users were urged to not use their phone during his burial as a tribute to him.
Uses today
It has become a wide use of communication and has connected people from place to place.
Positives and Negatives
Con's: It is easy to break down/malfuntion, to add to the fact that an operator has to operate stations to connect people to each other, not only that, but they also needed a line to connect the phone, which often also broke down and needed constant maintenace.
Ways it could've been improved:
Bibliography
URL: http://www.telephonymuseum.com/telephone%20history.htm
History.com
URL: http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/alexander-graham-bell
Bibliography.com
URL: http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-graham-bell-9205497