Timeline of the Telephone

The invention of the electromagnetic

telegraph is considered as the foundation on
which the invention of the telephone or
communication devices, in general, rested.
1832
Baron Schilling (Pavel Schilling) in Russia
invented the electromagnetic telegraph. It was
used to transmit signals from one person to
another.
Innocenzo Manzetti, an Italian inventor, came
up with the idea of making a speaking
telegraph (that later came to be known as the
1844
telephone). However, it was not until 1864,
that he actually invented the device; but, did
not patent it.
Antonio Meucci created a device that was
very similar to a telephone. There is no
accurate and exact description of this device;
but, it was a voice communication device.
1854
Meucci had used this device to connect his
basement with his bedroom on the first floor.
Due to financial and other reasons, Meucci
did not apply for patent for his device.
A major invention, which was very much
closer to the telephone, was made by Johann
1860 Philipp Reis. His model was known as the
Reis telephone. It helped in transmitting voice
electrically over 100 meters.

Elisha Gray created an electromagnet device

1874
that transmitted musical tones.
 Alexander Graham Bell makes use of a
1875
similar device to transmit sound of a reed.

Bell makes his first telephone call, speaking

the famous words over the call, "Mr. Watson,
1876 come here! I want to see you!"
The first long distance telephone call is made
between Cambridge and Boston.

Thomas Edison invented the carbon

1877 microphone that was used in all telephones
until 1980s.

1879 Connolly and McTighe patent a dial phone.

Another remarkable invention that of a

radiophone or the photophone, was made by
Alexander Graham Bell and Charles Sumner
1880 Tainter. This device transmitted sounds
through a beam of light. With this device,
Bell made his first wireless telephone call in
April 1880.
A call is made between San Francisco and
1915 New York City. This is the longest call made
in the US (from one coast to the other).
It was not until nearly a decade later that the
1926 first transatlantic telephone call was made
from London to New York.
Several firsts in the field of communication
1927 - 2000
took place all over the world like caller ID.
Some of the greatest creations since the basic
21st Century phone, with that of the smartphone, emerged
and are widely used.
How Does a Telephone Work?

A telephone is an instrument that was designed to simultaneously transmit and receive

human voice enabling two users to have a conversation even when they are far apart. The first
telephone was a vertical metal cone with a piece of parchment stretched like a drum over its
narrow end at the base. Outside the parchment was a glued a cork with a needle stuck in it,
pointing into a tiny cup of diluted sulfuric acid.

The main parts of the Bell Telephone, which was the first invented telephone, are: an Iron
Diaphragm with attached Permanent Magnet and a Coil of Copper Wires illustrated in the figure
below.

The telephone works in a manner that when someone talks to the sender’s telephone, the
voice of the sender makes the diaphragm vibrating which in turn makes the magnet attached to it
also vibrates. The vibration of the magnet in the coil will result to current induction. The induced
current signal is then sent to the receiver’s telephone through the copper wires. This process also
happens in the receiver’s telephone. The telephone takes the induced current signal and translates
it back into physical vibrations of the diaphragm. The sound is reproduced and can be heard.

Modern telephone, on the other hand, was much different from the telephone that Bell
first patented. In reality, it was just a modified version of a telegraph and the main difference was
that it could transmit true sound. Furthermore a difference with the components could also be
found together with the design, see the figure below of a modern telephone with its components.
 Though the modern telephone has some components that could not be found in the old
model of telephones, telephone instrument is commonly made up of the following functional
components like the power source, switch hook, dialer, ringer, transmitter, receiver, and anti-
sidetone circuit.

The power source of the experimental telephones were electric current that was generated
through electromagnetism while the power source that was used in Bell’s telephone were
batteries which were located in the telephone instrument itself. Now, current is supplied through
a two-wire circuit called the local loop with a standard voltage of 48 volts.

The switch hook connects the telephone instrument to the direct current supplied through
the local loop. The system of having a receiver hung on hook that operated the switch by opening
and closing a metal contact from early telephones were still common but with the presence of a
cradle that hold the combined handset, enclosing both receiver and transmitter.
 The dialer’s purpose is to let the user enter the number of the party that he or she wishes
to call. The dialer generated a signal that activates switches in the local office, which then
establish a transmission path to the called party. Dialers are of the rotary and push-button types.
The ringer’s purpose is to alert the user of an incoming call through emitting an audible tone or
ring. Ringers have two types, mechanical ringer or electronic ringer. Both types are activated by
a 20-hertz, 75-volt alternating current generated by the switching office. The activation of a
ringer is commonly at two-second pulses, with each pulse separated by a pause of four seconds.
The transmitter is essentially a tiny microphone located in the mouthpiece of the telephone’s
handset which converts the vibrations of the speaker’s voice into variations in the direct current
flowing through the set from the power source.

The receiver is located in the earpiece of the telephone’s handset. It operates on

electromagnetic principles that were known in Bell’s day and it converts fluctuating electric
current into sound waves that reproduce human speech. Fundamentally, it has two parts: a
permanent magnet, that have pole pieces wound with coils of insulated fine wire, and a
diaphragm driven by magnetic material that is supported near the pole pieces. The attraction of
the permanent magnet for the diaphragm varies from the speech currents passing through the
coils causing it to vibrate and produce sound waves.

The anti-sidetone circuit is an assemblage of transformers, resistors, and capacitors that

perform some functions. The primary function is to reduce sidetone that distracts the sound of
the speaker’s own voice coming through the receiver from the transmitter. Also, the anti-sidetone
circuit matches the low electrical impedance of the telephone instrument’s circuits to the higher
electrical impedance of the telephone line. Impedance matching allows a more efficient flow of
current through the system.

So, how does transmitting of message happen when using a telephone?

The transmission of the message was no different to how they were transmitted before
using Bell’s Telephone. In general, making a telephone call is just about converting energy from
sound to electricity, carrying the electricity down a very long wire, and then turning the
electricity back into sound.

Social Implications

Just like any other new things introduced to people, the telephone was received with
skepticism. People saw it as just a toy or a contraption and not an important part of living.
Eventually, they were able to recognize the benefits of using it. Its invention and growth in use
created a huge shift in the field of communication.

Communication was made faster with the telephone. People used to write letters that
would take days before the receiver receives and even more days for the sender to receive a
feedback. Some used carrier pigeons to send their messages. These forms of communication
were quite tedious and hassle. With the emergence of the telephone,