Alehander Graham Bell

*Born: March 3, 1847
Alexander Graham Bell designed the telephone in 1876.
He wanted a faster way to talk to others who were not nearby.
His success allowed for all people to communicate quickly!
Alexander Graham Bell

Bell read books in the library about Herman von Helmholtz, a German scientist who experimented with electrical vibrations to make vowel sounds.
Herman von Helmholtz
He researched his experiments so that someday he might be able to reconstruct them in his own home.

While Bell was in Massachusetts, he invented the harmonic telegraph, an instrument that makes it possible to send multiple telegraphs on one line.
Boston University

On March 7, 1876, Bell recieved his patent for the telephone.
The Telephone is Patented

“Mr.Watson, come here, I want you.”
On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was in his testing room with his partner, Watson.

The experiment they were working with had reeds that were thin and steel. One of the reeds was stuck so Watson plucked it to try to fix it.
Reeds

When he did, Graham heard the vibration clearly through the newly invented ‘telephone’.
Successful!

The Simple Telephone
There are three parts to the simple telephone. The Speaker, the Microphone and the Switch, also known as the Hook Switch.

The Hook Switch
The Hook Switch connects and disconnects the phone from the telephone network. The network is connected when you pick up the phone.

The speaker picks up the sounds waves from the other line, and sends them through the network to your ear drums. The sounds vibrate in your ear, and you then have sound.
The Speaker

The Microphone
The microphone has a diaphragm where the sounds waves vibrate the area. The amplifier, a small part of the telephone then sends it through to the other line’s speaker, reinterpreting the sounds into physical vibrations.

The Telephone Today
Today, phones have been able to get even smaller and even have no cords. In the bottom left, there is a palm pilot that can also be used at a phone. The telephone is a unique piece of equipment. No one can imagine our world without it.

A Sad day in History
On August 2, 1922, Alexander Graham Bell died at his home in Baddek Nova Scotia.