Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first patent for the telephone in 1876 after experimenting with transmitting speech electromagnetically. While several inventors contributed pioneering work on voice transmission by wire, Bell succeeded in transmitting the first intelligible telephone call by saying "Mr. Watson, come here." Bell went on to form The Bell Company to commercialize the telephone, which became the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) after building the first long-distance telephone line. The telephone became a crucial communication tool during World War 2 and has since evolved into modern mobile phones.

1. The Telephone
Presented by Jessica Ramos

2. Who invented the phone?
Innocenzo Manzetti
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Antonio Meucci
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Elisha Gray
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Alexander Graham Bell
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Thomas Edison
They have all been credited with pioneer work on
the telephone.

3. The people who invented the phone
1844 — Innocenzo Manzetti first mooted the idea of a “speaking telegraph”(telephone).
December 28, 1871 — Antonio Meucci files a patent caveat (n.3335) in the U.S. Patent Office titled “;Sound
Telegraph”, describing communication of voice between two people by wire.
1874 — Meucci, after having renewed the caveat for two years, fails to find the money to renew it. The
caveat lapses.
April 6, 1875 — Bell's U.S. Patent 161,739 “Transmitters and Receivers for Electric Telegraphs” is granted.
This uses multiple vibrating steel reeds in make-break circuits.
February 11, 1876 — Gray invents a liquid transmitter for use with a telephone but does not build one.
February 14, 1876 — Elisha Gray files a patent caveat for transmitting the human voice through a
telegraphic circuit.
February 14, 1876 — Alexander Bell applies for the patent “Improvements in Telegraphy”;, for
electromagnetic telephones using undulating currents.
February 19, 1876 — Gray is notified by the U.S. Patent Office of an interference between his caveat and
Bell's patent application. Gray decides to abandon his caveat.
March 7, 1876 — Bell's U.S. patent 174,465 “Improvement in Telegraphy” is granted, covering “the method
of, and apparatus for, transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically … by causing electrical
undulations, similar in form to the vibrations of the air accompanying the said vocal or other sound.”
1878 – Thomas Edison invented the carbon grain "transmitter" (microphone) that provided a strong voice
signal on the transmitting circuit that made long-distance calls practical.

4. Alexander Graham Bell
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Born Alexander Bell on March 3, 1847, in
Edinburgh, Scotland.
Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had
all been associated with work on elocution
and speech, and both his mother and wife
were deaf, influencing Bell's life's work
His research on hearing and speech
further led him to experiment with hearing
devices which eventually culminated in
Bell being awarded the first US patent for
the telephone in 1876.

5. The Bell Company
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In 1877 Bell started his own
company formerly known as
“The Bell Company”
Allowed thousands of people the
ability to own a phone.
The company built the first long
distance line from Boston to
New York in 1884.
It is now known as the
“American Telephone and
Telegraph Company” (AT&T)

6. First Telephone Call
March 10, 1876
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Bell succeeded in getting his
telephone to work, using a
liquid transmitter, a design
made by Elisha Gray.
“Mr. Watson-Come here- I
want to see you”

7. Almon Stowger
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
in 1891. A Kansas City Undertaker by the
name of Almon Strowger tired of waiting for
operators to answer the phone to make
connections, invented an "automatic"
telephone that "dialed" a number with the
push of buttons--early push button phones.
He formed the Automatic Electric
Company.

8. Phones in WW2
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Became an important tool for the war.
Allowed soldiers to communicate with
commanding officers about their location
ans state of platoons.
Made to withstand severe weather
conditions.

9. Modern Phones
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The first cell phone was invented in 1973 by a former employee of
Motorola named Dr. Martin Cooper.
His invention weighed in at 2 lbs, was only a foot long, and could only
handle one, half hour call per battery charge.
The price of this monster of
technology was around $4000.
Changes to the mobile phone are
rapidly occurring as technology
advances and consumer requests
are constantly changing.

11. Sources
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"Telephone." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Mar. 2013.
Web. 04 Nov. 2013.
"Telephone History." Telephone History. Gregory R. Russell,
10 Feb. 1998. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
"Inventor of the Week: Archive." Inventor of the Week:
Archive. N.p., Sept. 2000. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.