Alexander Graham Bell
...eaf hear again. Alexander Graham Bell was not trying to invent the telephone; he was just trying to help out people in need. Bell’s ideas about transmitting speech electrically came into sharper focus during his days in Boston. Bell became increasingly interested in the possibility of transmitting speech over wires. Hoping to make up for his lack of technical prowess, he approached the Charles Williams shop looking for an assistant. He found the perfect one in Thomas A. Watson. Bell and Watson worked to create what he called his "harmonic telegraph." Together, the two men worked for a year and succeeded in sending their first telephone message on March 10, 1876, when Bell spoke the famous words: "Watson -- come here -- I want you." On April 6, 1875, Bell was granted the patent for the multiple telegraphs, which sent two signals at the same time. In September 1875 he began to write the specifications for the telephone. By 1876, he had developed and patented the "harmonic telegraph" which could send more than one message at a time over a single telegraph wire. By the ripe old age of 29, Alexander Graham Bell invented his telephone. Because of this invention we now have things such as cellular phones, the Internet, smaller world in the sense that China is only a phone call away instead of a world away with mail. The invention of the telephone definitely brought on the information revolution. Photophone: Alexander Graham Bell might easily have been content with the success of his telephone invention. His many laboratory notebooks demonstrate, however, that he was driven by a genuine and rare intellectual curiosity that kept him regularly searching, striving, and wanting always to learn and to create. He would continue to test out new ideas through a long and productive life. He would explore the realm of communications as well as engage in a great variety of scientific activities involving among other things, sound being conducted via a beam of light. Among one of his first innovations after the telephone was the "photophone," a device that enabled sound to be transmitted on a beam of light. Bell and his assistant, Charles Sumner Tainter, developed the photophone using a sensitive selenium crystal and a mirror that would vibrate in response to a sound. In 1881, they successfully sent a photo phone message over 200 yards from one building to another. Bell regarded the photophone as "the greatest invention I have ever made; greater than the telephone." Alexander Graham Bell's invention reveals the principle upon which today's laser and fiber optic communication systems are founded, though it would take the development of several modern technologies to realize it fully. The ideas behind the photophone and telephone form the backbone by which information is shared among the computers of this information age. Metal Vacuum Jacket: The artificial respirator that Alexander invented stemmed from Bell's newborn son, Edward, died from respiratory problems, and Bell responded to that tragedy by designing a metal vacuum jacket that would facilitate breathing. He did not want to see another father watch his only child die if there was any way he could do something about it. This apparatus was a forerunner of the iron lung used in the 1950s to aid polio victims. Conclusion: Bell's willingness to search out the path less taken resulted in some of the world's most important inventions. He took, as Robert Frost once said, the road less traveled, and indeed in Bell’s life, it did make all the difference. It has been said that Bell invented the telephone by searching for it in places where other inventors would never think to look. From his desire to help the deaf “hear,” Bell's ability to believe in the impossible has served the world well. SPARE STUFF: Alexander Graham Bell once summed up his approach to life and invention: "Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods. Every time you do so you will be certain to find something that you have never seen before. Follow it up, explore all around it, and before you know it, you will have something worth thinking about to occupy your mind. All really big discoveries are the results of thought." Bell's willingness to search out the path less taken resulted in some of the world's most important inventions. It has been said that Bell invented the telephone by searching for it in places where other inventors would never think to look. Bell's ability to believe in the impossible has served the world well. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if there was no telephone? Most of us use the telephone everyday and never really appreciate the time that went into this invention. Alexander Graham Bell was born March 3, 1847 in Edinburg, Scotland, he came to Canada in 1870, then to the U.S. in 1871. Alex became an U.S. citizen in 1882. Alexander made a worldwide impact by inventing the telephone. He made it possible to communicate from anywhere around the globe. Alexander Graham Bell never set out to invent the telephone. Initially, he wanted to develop a multiple telegraph. Only later did he realize that a far greater prize lay at the end of the road In 1876, at the age of 29, Alexander Graham Bell invented his telephone. In 1877, he formed the Bell Telephone Company, and in the same year married Mabel Hubbard and embarked on a yearlong honeymoon in Europe. Alexander Graham Bell might easily have been content with the success of his telephone invention. His many laboratory notebooks demonstrate, however, that he was driven by a genuine and rare intellectual curiosity that kept him regularly searching, striving, and wanting always to learn and to create. He would continue to test out new ideas through a long and productive life. He would explore the realm of communications as well as engage in a great variety of scientific activities involving kites, airplanes, tetrahedral structures, sheep breeding, artificial respiration, desalinization and water distillation, and hydrofoils. With the enormous technical and later financial success of his telephone invention, Alexander Graham Bell's future was secure, and he was able to arrange his life so that he could devote himself to his s...