Published by: Irene Alga
Date Published: March 5, 2024
Time Published: 3:40 PM
Could you imagine a world without your beloved phone to deliver your messages for you? It's been 101 years since Graham Bell died and we still reap the benefits of his fascinating works. Voices traveling through air and space were made possible after the first telephone was patented 148 years ago today, thanks to Alexander’s quick mind.
On this day, March 7, we ought to hear the voice of a great man as we celebrate the unofficial holiday of the one and only Alexander Graham Bell. Let us unleash his beautiful life as we celebrate the day his most renowned work is patented.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ’๐ฌ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Bell has always been fascinated with sounds growing up. His father, Alexander Melville Bell, was a famous elocutionist and researcher of deafness and speech [1]. He invented the “Visible Speech”, which helped deaf people learn how to speak by shaping their mouths according to symbols that are drawn by identifying the position of mouth, throat, and larynx. In 1868, Alexander Graham Bell proceeded to join his father in demonstrating Visible Speech to deaf students all over America. In addition to his father’s profession, Graham Bell’s mother and wife also suffered from extremely hard of hearing, which historians believe is one of the main reasons for his fascination in the deaf education [2]. His passion in teaching led him to establish his own deaf school later in his life.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ’๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐
In 1881, Bell was one of the inventors credited for the first metal-detecting device that was used to find bullets inside the victims. This invention came to be when the then-President James A. Garfield was assassinated in his office. His attempt to find the bullet inside the president was unsuccessful after the metal-detector failed to find the bullet because of the metal in the bed which interfered with the reading of the device [3]. Despite this, he continued to conduct research on metal-detectors and succeeded in developing the device. He would later on use it on Civil War veterans, retrieving bullets using his detector which he called “induction balance”.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ๐
Alexander’s career is not always sunshine and rainbows. During the period in which he created the telephone, he faced various controversies regarding the copyright of the telephone.
Bell got the rights to the telephone's invention in 1876 and made a complete claim to a patent for it. Following that, he sought to retain the telephone patent and faced the opposition of more than 600 lawsuits against him, five reaching the supreme court [4].
One of which is a fight with Elisha Gray, an American electrical engineer who tried to patent a telephone with his own prototype. On Valentine's Day 1876, Bell and Gray applied for their own patent in the United States at the Washington Patent Office for a voice-activated device that uses electrical cables to convey sounds. They passed on the same office, a device with the same purpose on the same day [5]. After deliberations of competing applications on March 7, 1876, the patent office decided to award Bell a patent because the office says that he is two hours earlier than Gray. Gray tried to sue Bell, saying that he stole his ideas; however, he lost the fight .
At the end of 1876, Bell tried to sell the telephone patent to Gray but was rejected with a statement of “We are not interested in a scientific toy." It is said that after that time, Gray moved on because the telephone or the concept of vocal telegraphy is more aligned with scientific interest and not commercial interest that can generate profit—stated in his letter to his patent attorney in October 1876 [6].
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ’๐ฌ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Aside from his groundbreaking work in telecommunications with the invention of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell has done his fair share of other inventions throughout his life that left a noble mark on history. One of which is the Photophone, his lesser-known but equally compelling invention, a pioneering device that uses light to transmit sound wirelessly, which lays in the foundation of communication systems. Bell's cleverness extends to audio recording technology employing a wax-coated cardboard cylinder for capturing sound called Graphophone, an enhanced version of Thomas Edison's phonograph. Moreover in 1881, Bell invented the Twisted Pair Cabling for a wiring solution adept at combating interference which contributed to further solidified telecommunications.
Bell explored beyond the field of communication reaching the new heights with creation of the Hydrodome number 4 (HD-4), a hydrofoil boat that set the world marine speed records, reaching an astounding 70.86 mph. Bell also had interests with flight and became one of the founding members of Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) to experiment with aerial vehicles. This shows the development and piloting of enormous man-carrying tetrahedral kites, alike to helicopter rotors recognized today. Alexander Graham Bell's legacy continues to inspire and shape technological advancement through his diverse inventions.
๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ
Do you ever wonder why the word ‘Decibel’ sounds so familiar? After the telephone was invented, sound engineers had to find the right way to quantify the signals in telephone circuits. During this time, ‘decibel’ was invented. The decibel is a unit of measure to describe the intensity of a sound. Initially, it was called “Transmission Unit (TU)”, but was later changed to ‘decibel’ after Alexander Graham Bell in honor of his contributions in the telecommunication in 1920s [7].
The legacy of the scientist Alexander Graham Bell extends throughout the disciplines of communication, invention, transportation, and education. From the development of the telephone, which changed telecommunications to what it is now, Bell's other inventions continue to shape the modern world we are living in today. He found ways to help and improve the ways and lives of others that he used as a driving force to make his inventions true, along with his constant pursuit of knowledge and determinations, which all came to life. Bell continues to remind us that with the strength of his curiosity and dedication as a model, anyone can leave a permanent imprint on history, just like he did. Let us remember Alexander Graham Bell, a great visionary whose contributions are still evidently felt and heard beyond time and space, as we celebrate his accomplishments on this day.
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