SADDLEBACK EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING

Titles in this Series

The Beatles
Alexander Graham Bell
Daniel Boone
Davy Crockett
Marie Curie
Walt Disney
Amelia Earhart

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL

Thomas Edison
Albert Einstein
Benjamin Franklin
Houdini
Thomas Jefferson
Martin Luther King Jr.
Abraham Lincoln
Charles Lindbergh
Elvis Presley
Jackie Robinson
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Babe Ruth
George Washington

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Irvine, CA 92618-2767
Website: www.sdlback.com
 ALexander GRAHAM BELL 

In 1876 a great centennial talk was held in Philadelphia.

The guest of honor was Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil.
Dom Pedro tried a new invention by which the human
voice could be carried over a wire.

Dom Pedro thought it was the most remarkable thing in America.

But most people thought it only a toy without any useful
purpose.
 ALexander GRAHAM BELL 

To be or not to No, no, my boy. Feel

From his
be, that is the the vowel sounds.
father,
question! Use your lungs.
who was
to become
professor
of elocution
at the
University of
London, Aleck
had lessons
in speaking.

Baron Von Kempelen had built The Baron’s machine will be shown
an artificial figure that could here. Would you like to see it?
speak.
Very
The voice is not a much.
fake! The Baron
has written
a book, The
Mechanism of
Human Speech,
explaining how it
works.

How-do-you-do? It really does

The day work!
I-hope-you-are-well.
came.


At home, Mr. Bell made his older We don’t know how the Baron’s
sons an offer. figure works, but we can figure out
My boys, if Great! from father’s books how a person
you can make We’ll do it! talks. We’ll make it that way!
a figure that
talks, I’ll give
you a prize!

You make the throat

with the larynx and vocal
cords. I’ll make the head
of gutta-percha*, with
the mouth and tongue.

It works! Blow
The boys Maaa-
hard, Melville!
worked maaaa.
for days.
At last the
time came
for a trial.
Melville
blew air
into the
throat.

* a tough plastic substance from the latex of several Malaysian trees that resembles rubber


So Mr. Bell gave up his London They reached Quebec on August 1,

career, and they sailed for 1870.
America. Aleck performed at the
Smell that air! I’m sure
ship’s concert.
You’ll be well in you’re
Will ye no no time! right.
come back
again?

A perfect spot And with pillows and

to rest. We’ll a blanket, this will
They make a perfect sofa
hang a hammock
settled here, Aleck. seat!
near
Brantford,
a town in
Ontario.

Aleck did a lot of resting there.

Also a lot of studying and
thinking.
 ALexander GRAHAM BELL 

During the winter, he felt well

I hope to work out a That would
enough to try to work out some
harmonic telegraph be of great
of his idea.
system so that value to the
Listen to the vibration several messages telegraph
of the strings. I am could be sent at companies.
using them as tuning. once over one wire.

Mr. Bell I’ve promised to teach I certainly feel

was asked and lecture in Canada well enough!
to go to at that time. Perhaps
Boston you could go to Boston
in April in my place, Aleck.
to teach
and give
lectures
to other
teachers of
the deaf.

And you know Thank you, father. I would

my theories, my like to go to Boston.
methods, and
my alphabet of
visible speech
as well as I do.
 ALexander GRAHAM BELL 

He held classes for deaf

These symbols make up the
children.
alphabet of visible speech
as developed by my father.
Feel what my
lips do to make
that sound.
Copy it with
your own lips.

But he spent his nights working on One day he spoke of his

his own experiments in an attic. inventions to Thomas Sanders,
the father of one of his pupils.
I use electromagnets Western Union Yes, sir! Right
to vibrate my tuning would pay a lot for now I need
forks, and adjust the such a device! If money to have
ones at the other you need money for models made,
end of the wire. your experiments, in order to
I’ll be glad to back apply for a
you. patent.

Thomas Sanders became one of

Aleck’s chief backers.
10

Gardiner Greene Hubbard, a wealthy Boston lawyer, consulted Aleck

about his 16-year-old daughter.

Perhaps I could
Mabel has been deaf advise her present
since a childhood illness. teacher.
She reads lips well, but
needs help in speaking.

Hubbard, too, wanted to invest

in Aleck’s inventions.

And soon Aleck was visiting the Charles Williams’ Electrical Shop
Hubbard’s every week, not to teach was a place where inventors
but because he and Mabel were in could have working models
love. made.
As soon as I am It wouldn’t This is not
earning enough, take so quite right. I
we can be married. very much, will talk to the
would it? workman.

This part, it I made it that way

Aleck went because, from my
isn’t the way I
to the study of electricity, it
wanted it.
workbench would seem …
of Thomas A.
Watson.
12

But Aleck’s backers were not Mr. Hubbard felt the same.
interested in this new idea.
Your father thinks
No one can
No, my boy, my telephone idea
prevent
forget this is foolish. If I stick
two people
telephone idea. with it, he may
from
Hurry and patent forbid us to marry!
marrying if
your multiple
they want
telegraph before
to badly
someone else
enough!
beats you to it!

So Aleck went to Washington and on March 6, 1875, applied for a patent

on his telegraph instrument. Then he visited the Smithsonian Institution.

I have a letter
of introduction
to Joseph Henry,
the director. But
perhaps such a
great scientist won’t
bother to see me.

Come in, Mr. Bell!

But Henry Sit down. Excuse
welcomed me, I have a very
Aleck. bad cold, but I am
always glad to meet
young inventors.
 ALexander GRAHAM BELL 13

Should I publish my You have the germ of a

Mr. Henry great invention. Work it
ideas and let others
heard Aleck’s work it out? Or should out yourself.
ideas for the I try to do it myself?
telegraph.
He was so
interested
that Aleck
told him his
ideas for a
telephone.

But back in Boston, he went on

You stay here. Start the reeds
working on the telegraph.
vibrating and tune them. I’ll listen
on the receiving end.
Let’s try something
new, using steel
reeds instead of
tuning forks.

What did you do? Why, one of the

All spring Don’t change a thing! reeds was stuck. I
they worked Let me see!. plucked it to loosen
that way and the end.
into June.
Then one
evening …
 ALexander GRAHAM BELL 15

As the hot summer wore on, Aleck He rested and thought out his
seldom slept and forgot to eat. One problems.
night he fainted. Watson rushed
My telephone
for a doctor.
works, but the
He needs country voices are not
air, good food, loud and clear. To
and plenty of succeed it must be
rest. better.

So once again Aleck went

to Canada to get his health
back.

At least I have
the time now to
get my papers in
order to apply for
a patent.

The following March 1876, he was

granted a patent on the first telephone.