Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone.
Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly 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 U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876. Bell considered his most famous invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.
Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. Although Bell was not one of the 33 founders of the National Geographic Society, he had a strong influence on the magazine while serving as the second president from January 7, 1898, until 1903. Wikipedia, Alexander Graham Bell
Invention of the Telephone
The invention of the telephone is the culmination of work done by many individuals, the history of which involves a collection of claims and counterclaims. The development of the modern electrical telephone involved an array of lawsuits founded upon the patent claims of several individuals and numerous companies.
This article covers the early years from 1844 to 1898, from conception of the idea of an electric voice-transmission device, to failed attempts to use "make-and-break" current, to successful experiments with electromagnetic telephones by Antonio Meucci, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson, and finally to commercially successful telephones in the late 19th century. Wikipedia, Invention of the telephone
List of patents http://www.uspat.com/bell/
The definition of the decibel originated in the measurement of power in telephony of the early 20th century in the Bell System in the United States. One decibel is one tenth (deci-) of one bel, named in honor of Alexander Graham Bell; however, the bel is seldom used.
Alexander Graham Bell isn’t just famous for the telephone, he once stunned the world with a wild experiment in flight.
In 1907, Bell unveiled the Cygnet I, a massive kite made from 3,393 silk-covered triangles. This structure looked like a floating wall of geometry, based on Bell’s idea that triangles made the best flying machines.
Bell shared his vision in National Geographic (1903), claiming that any good aircraft should first be able to fly as a kite, and with engines, could become a true airplane.
Cygnet I was his real-world test. On December 6, 1907, in Nova Scotia, the kite was towed behind a motorboat across Baddeck Bay and lifted Army officer Thomas Selfridge 168 feet above the water.
For seven minutes, Canada saw its first heavier-than-air flight, though the kite wasn’t powered itself. Then, the Cygnet I crashed and was destroyed.
Bell wasn’t discouraged, believing this proved his triangle-based design worked. Later, the team built powered versions (Cygnet II and III), but these were too heavy and tricky to control, so they failed to fly.
Still, the lessons from the Cygnet experiments helped Bell’s group create the Silver Dart, the plane that made Canada’s first successful powered flight in 1909.
Bell’s big kite reminds us that engineering progress often comes from risky experiments.
Even failures, especially those that fly, crash, and teach us something, help push technology forward.
See Also