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Telephones: Designed For Talking, Used For Just About Everything

Communication is an essential element of human existence. The transfer of information characterizes it. The best way to illustrate this is to discuss the evolution of the telephone. This extraordinary invention changed the way businesses are managed and the way people conduct their day to day lives.

Alexander Graham Bell patented the first telephone in 1876. Prior to his receiving the patent, three men were working towards the same goal: Antonio Meucci, Alexander Graham Bell, and Elisha Gray. Both Gray and Bell were working on a telegraph system on which more than one message at a time could be sent over a single wire. Gray, declaring that instruments to convey the human voice were mere playthings, decided he would concentrate on the “more practical” telegraph.

Continuing on in history, the first manually switched commercial telephone exchange opened in 1878. Only 21 subscribers were connected. The first automatic telephone switch was installed in 1892, until this time, operators manned the switches around the clock. In 1915, that first cross-country commercial line was formally opened between New York and San Francisco. For a single voice exchange, 6,780 miles of copper wires, 30,000 telephone poles and two circuits were required. On April 25, 1935 the first message (by AT&T) was transmitted around the world. It took a quarter of a second for a single message to circle around the world, now gigabytes of information travel the same distance in as much time.

Branching from the creation of the telephone were a number of other time-altering inventions. The radio, sending voice through the air (without wires) was developed in the 1890’s. In addition, in 1927, the first commercial telephone serviced by radio, between New York and London, opened . The “walkie talkie”, developed in the late 1930’s became one of the first practical applications of mobile communications. This invention paved the path for the invention of the first mobile telephone in 1941. An interesting fact that most are unaware of, the first commercial wireless telephone service was actually available in 1946. The equipment for the mobile phone filled the trunk of a car.

It is entertaining to note, the telephone throughout history was not always well received. In the early days, voices over the phone were almost inaudible. Furthermore, long-distance rates in the early part of the century were too expensive for most people, resulting in only the privileged few owning phones. However, the telephone service continued to advance and improve, and is now so much a part of Americans’ daily living that it seems almost unnecessary to summarize its importance.

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