Are you old enough to remember phonebooks, phone booths, answering machines, or prank
calls?
These things are all part of the history of the telephone.
Much of today’s youth can’t imagine being without their cell phone for a day – let
alone possibly imagine how people communicated without one at all.
Nowadays, people of all ages are glued to their smartphones all day, every day.
Communication has changed dramatically since the invention of cell phones.
Before cell phones, letter writing was the go-to method.
Letters could sometimes take two weeks to reach their destination.
But wait… it gets even more interesting.
The sender wouldn’t know if their letter was received unless they got a response.
Imagine waiting a month to know if someone received your message?!
It would make it a real challenge to ask someone out on a date, wouldn’t it?!
Back then, no one imagined that talking to someone a thousand kilometers away could be
accomplished with the push of a button.
How did we go from letter-writing to the multi-functional devices we have today?
Who invented the Telephone?
Many scientists contributed to the creation of the Telephone.
The two most important figures were Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray.
In 1876, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell independently designed devices that could
transmit speech through a wire.
It was a race to the finish line.
They both rushed to the patent office, racing against the clock to be the first to register
their invention.
However, Bell patented his version of the Telephone first and later won a legal dispute
with Gray.
Their fight over the rights to the invention is one of the largest patent wars in history!
Today, Bell's name is synonymous with the telephone.
This technology has come a remarkably long way, much faster than bell could've anticipated.
Phones weren't always Mobile: Evolution of the Telephone
Almost everyone on the planet has a mobile phone.
A few years ago, people couldn't move around with their phones.
And of course, as we all know, it was only for making phone calls.
How did a device with a single purpose become an all-around entertainment must-have for
us today?
– Here's a timeline of how the telephone evolved:
• In 1878 phone operators had to help people make phone calls.
This made the process frustrating for many people.
• It was during the 1930s that phones started to include dials with numbers.
This made making phone calls much more effortless.
• In the 1960s, the push-button number pad was first introduced.
• Cordless phones were introduced in the 1980s.
People were now able to walk around while talking on the phone.
• Cell phones came out in the 1990s.
They were called flip phones.
Do you remember them?
They were mostly rectangular, and you had to flip them open.
• The phones we use today are cutting-edge.
We can now use them to book plane tickets, browse the web, text, take amazing photos,
and much more.
What Were the First Words Ever Said Over the Phone?
Was it "hello?"
or "Who is this?"
It was, in fact, neither.
On March 10, 1876, Bell put his invention
to
the test.