Who Invented the Telephone

The simple answer to this query is Alexander Graham Bell. Graham Bell, a Scottish scientist, migrated to Canada at the age of twenty-three. It was in Canada that he developed an interest for communication machines.

Who Invented the Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell along with his friend and close associate Thomas A. Watson were working on a "Harmonic Telegraph". On June 2, 1875, Watson was working on the wire reeds of the telegraph in one of the rooms, when Graham Bell heard the sound of a plucked reed coming to him over the wire. The next day, on June 3, 1875 after a lot of effort, the instrument transmitted the sound of Alexander Bell’s voice to Watson. The first words that were uttered by Bell over the telephone were "Mr. Watson - come here - I want to see you."

Eventually, after a lot of hard work, in September 1875, Graham Bell applied for his telephone patent. The patent was issued to him on March 7, 1876. On March 10, 1876, the first telephonic conversation was carried out on top floor of a Boston boarding house at 109 Court Street, Boston.

In the history of telephone, an Italian inventor Antonio Meucci, is worth mentioning. Historians opine it was Antonio, who had first invented the telephone. In 1871, Meucci created an instrument that could be used for communication between the basement and the first floor of his Staten Island home. In 1874, Antonio Meucci, published his paper on the invention. However, due to lack of finance, he never pursued a patent for the telephone.

There is an ongoing debate, that Graham Bell is not the inventor of the telephone. It is believed Bell worked on the facts put forth by the Italian inventor and was granted the patent. Some historians believe Graham Bell commercialized what Antonio Meucci had invented.

In another incident, an American scientist Elisha Gray had also patented for the invention of telephone. However, he was late by an hour, giving Bell the advantage. Gray filed a case against Bell. Ultimately, Graham Bell won the case and he was declared the official inventor of the telephone.