Inventing Telephone facts
While investigating facts about Inventing Telephone, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Almon Brown Strowger noticed he was losing business because a competitor would have his wife, a telephone operator redirect calls asking for Strowger to his business. Strowger later invented the automatic telephone exchange which eliminated the need for operators.
AT&T's Bell Labs invented the message machine in the 1930s. However, it was hidden by AT&T from the public until the 1990s for fear that 'voice mail' would end the need for the telephone
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 50 of the best facts about Inventing Telephone I managed to collect.
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The word Hello only began being used as a greeting when the telephone was invented, credited as a suggestion by Thomas Edison to be used when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell, his competitor, preferred Ahoy.
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Mr Burns telephone greeting in The Simpsons, 'Ah-Hoy!' was actually how Alexander Graham Bell thought people should answer the telephone when he invented it.
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Alexander Bell never called his wife or his mother after inventing the telephone because they were both deaf
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90 years before the invention of the modern wireless telephone, Alexander Graham Bell invented a device that could transmit speech using sunlight.
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The fax machine was invented 33 years before the telephone and only 6-8 years after the telegraph
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When telephones first came into commercial use you had to whistle loudly into the receiver to get the other person's attention, as telephone bells hadn't been invented yet.
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The idea of direct-dialing a telephone number was invented by an undertaker who suspected the local switchboard operator was routing business to a competitor. Unable to prove the accusation, he decided to automate away the job of operator.
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The telephone was actually invented by an Italian inventor named Antonio Meucci, not Alexander Graham Bell. Meucci fell on hard times. His caveat, an intention to patent, expired. Bell, who was linked to Meucci's missing prototypes, filed for a patent on a nearly identical design that day.
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The word "hello" was only first published in 1827, and was used as a greeting following the invention of the telephone, after beating out Alexander Graham Bell's preferred greeting, "ahoy"
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The fax machine was invented before the telephone
In 1956, Bell Telephone Company (AT&T) was allowed to monopolize the telecom industry. As a tradeoff, Bell had to license all patents royalty-free. These included key 20th century inventions such as transistors, solar cells, lasers, cellular tech, comm satellites, the Unix OS, and C language. - source
His efforts that led to the invention of the telephone as it is known today were actually intended to be a device for the hearing impaired.
Alexander Graham Bell at one point built a working device for recording sound out of a human ear. Shouting into the ear produced sound waves recorded on paper. He credited this invention with inspiring the telephone.
Berliner became interested in audio technology and invented an improved telephone transmitter which he patented.
Antonio Meucci filed the first patent for the telephone in 1871. However electromagnetic transmission of vocal sound was not mentioned in his patent caveat. It was Alexander Graham Bell, in 1876, who patented the telephone. There is strong evidence that Meucci invented the telephone
The headphone jack we use today was invented back in the 19th century. The larger version of the phone connector was invented for use in telephone switchboards in 1878.
Although Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he refused to keep one in his study. He feared it would distract him from his work
The Centennial Exhibition in 1876 was attended by 5% of the US population and featured new inventions like the telephone, Heinz ketchup, and root beer. Bananas were introduced and sold for what would be $1.75/banana in today’s money.
In 1877-78 he invented the carbon microphone that remained in use in telephones until the 1980s.
Berliner was awarded nine U.S patents for his inventions which included telephone induction coils, microphones, and horizontal recording devices.