Telephone 

As a young child, Alexander Graham Bell was a curious boy and an avid
inventor. At the age of 12, he invented a paddle device that made the task of
dehiscing wheat simple and efficient. As he grew older, Bell started be
experimenting with tuning forks. Bell became fascinated with a method that
would translate the human voice into vibrations, vibrations that could be read
and transmitted by a machine like the telephone.

During the 1870's, two well known inventors both independently designed
devices that could transmit sound along electrical cables. Those inventors were
Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray. Both devices were registered at the
patent office within hours of each other. There followed a bitter legal battle over
the invention of the telephone, which Bell subsequently won.

In 1876, Scottish emigrant Alexander Graham Bell was the first to be

granted a United States patent for a device that produced clearly
intelligible replication of the human voice.
 
"Before the telephone, information had to come to people from books and
newspapers. People also had to rely on other people's memories and travel
patterns. Now, people can find out anything anytime just by picking up the phone
and dialing a number. If people did not know a telephone number, they could dial
an operator to help them connect the call.

The very first telephone call was Bell calling his assistant to ask for help. In
1937, Britain put in a public emergency system where people could call for help
by dialing 9-9-9. New Zealand's 1-1-1 emergency system began in 1958. In
America, AT&T decided to use 9-1-1 for its emergency system in 1968 and the
first emergency call was placed in Alabama that same year. 9-1-1 went
nationwide in 1973. The Enhanced Emergency System now directs a call to a
trained emergency technician who gets the proper help and tells people what to
do.
-

A common advertisement from 1915

showing the social aspects of the telephone
Pioneer Communications Museum.
A 1930's survey conclusion is still valid today:
"... Most people saw telephoning as accelerating social life, which is
another way of saying that telephoning broke isolation and
augmented social contacts. A minority felt that telephones served this
function too well. These people complained about too much gossip,
about unwanted calls, or, as did some family patriarchs, about wives
and children chatting too much. Most probably sensed that the
telephone bell, besides disrupting their activities
Bell offered to sell his telephone
patent to Western Union for $100,000
in 1876, when he was struggling with
the business. An account that is
believed by some to be apocryphal,
but still recounted in many telephone
histories states
In my opinion, The telephone is one invention that changed the
world and opened a wide world of communication. Many businesses
benefited from the additional communication options that became
available after the invention of the telephone. As communication
continues to evolve, businesses continue to benefit from the
additional communication channels that are open to make completing
business transactions and connecting with customers easier.
Understanding the history of the telephone in business can give you a
greater appreciation for the invention of the telephone and what it
means for us today.
ANY QUESTIONS?!