While we associate telephones with the name Alexander Graham Bell, the story of who invented the telephone is much more than that!
Our journey begins with the liquid transmitter, the world’s first telephone. Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray, two inventors, each designed a device that could transmit speech electronically.
Bell arrived at the patent office just hours before Gray, and when his patent was granted on March 7, 1876, he won the famous battle over the invention of the telephone. “Mr Watson, come here,” were said to be the first words transmitted through the phone receiver. Bell writes to his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, “I want to see you.”
Early in 1877, the Bell Telephone Company established the first official phone lines, and the first regular telephone line was built between Boston and Somerville, Massachusetts.
Almon B. Strowger invented the telephone, which was the first to perform an automatic telephone exchange without the need for an operator.
During the 1900s
Although Strowger was the first to file a patent for a rotary dial phone in 1891, the dialling devices did not enter the Bell System until the 1920s.
By 1970, we had touch tone dialling and the first cordless phones, thanks to leaping decades ahead. AT&T developed a completely experimental picture-phone system to transmit images throughout a phone call.
The idea was scrapped because it was deemed too bulky and expensive, and it was later incorporated into a personal computer. With the first tests of VoIP service, caller ID, and the introduction of the mobile phone in the 1980s, telephony communications underwent a revolution.
Even though the term “smartphone” had not yet been coined at the time of its release, the IBM Simon is widely regarded as the first device to combine phone and PDA functions.
The cell phone craze had taken off, with consumers quickly realising the advantages of being reachable while on the go.
During the 2000s
During this decade, technology advanced at a breakneck pace. Mobile phones became smaller, with higher-resolution screens and more features than ever before.
Text/voice/video software like Skype allowed people to connect in even more ways as VoIP technology expanded into businesses and applications.
Modern Days
We can now use our cell phones to book plane tickets, get directions to a business or residence, shop for shoes, check what’s new on Facebook, share photos with the world, check the score of your favourite team, play interactive games with friends, and much more!
The advancements in phone technology have been massive and rapid over the last two decades. It’s amazing to think that the iPhone was revolutionary when it was first released in 2007. Even phones with full keyboards are now regarded as obsolete. Skype has been integrated into both smartphones and computers, giving users even more options for communication. New operating systems were being created, each one more advanced than the previous. Built-in phone cameras have also improved, and are now capable of capturing high-quality photos and video. It wasn’t long before phones could be used to watch movies, read books, and even play games, making them all-in-one entertainment devices. Assistants like Siri and Cortana gave phones more personality and, at least for some, more accessibility.
The telephone has a promising future. Almost everyone on the planet has at least one, even if it isn’t the most recent model. New software and hardware will continue to be developed, as well as existing technology will be improved. Since that fateful day in 1876, the telephone has come a long way, much further and faster than Graham Bell could have imagined. We may take smartphones for granted these days, but the technology behind them is astounding.
INTERESTING THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TELEPHONE
- The first phone book consisted of only 20 pages.
In 1878, the first phone book was published, and it was reportedly quite short! Given that the phone had only been invented two years prior, it’s understandable that not everyone had yet embraced the new technology.
- 41% of people under the age of 25 despise it when you don’t pick up the phone after texting them.
Most Millennials will agree with this pet peeve, and since the majority of today’s workers are from this generation, it’s a useful fact to know for business communications. It is critical to maintaining proper phone etiquette to be the best employee possible. If you send a text and then don’t pick up when the person tries to call you back right away, it could be interpreted as avoidance and even rudeness.
- Each day in 2022, 50 billion instant messages are expected to be sent.
Yes, we live in a texting culture, as evidenced by this. One of the best ways to communicate without having to speak is through text messaging. And, given that 79 per cent of people use texting for business communications, it’s not surprising that so many are sent daily. With the rise of WhatsApp and iMessage, texting has also increased. Text messaging is an excellent way to express yourself in writing, cater to your business needs, and keep communication short and to the point.
Also published on Medium.