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Many inventions such as the telephone, telegraph, and teletypewriter, have all had a profound impact on telecommunications. The telephone definitely is one of the most important inventions in telecommunications history. This device revolutionized the world of telecommunications, and was invented by a man named Alexander Graham Bell. Alexander Graham Bell and his telephone changed the world of telecommunications. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, with the help of his assistant, Thomas Watson. His invention was then called a “harmonic telegraph”, but would later be known as the telephone. Bell then filed a patent application about three hours before a woman named Elisha Gray, whom incidentally had a similar device to that of Alexander Graham Bell. A long legal battle would later ensue, and it was Bell’s patent that was upheld by United States Supreme Court. Alexander Graham Bell first saw the telephone as a form of free communication, but would later it as a means to make money. The telephone would later have a tremendous impact on the world. Bell held many public displays for his new invention. Bell also displayed his telephone at the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876. By that time, Bell’s telephone became commercialized and he was making a substantial amount of money. One interesting sidenote is that Samuel Clemens (a.k.a., Mark Twain) was one of the first owners of the telephone. On October 9, 1876, Bell and Watson would hold the world’s first two-way telephone conversation in Boston. In 1877, Bell, along with Thomas Watson, Thomas Sanders, and Gardiner Hubbard, would later from the Bell Telephone Company. The Bell Company would later become one of the largest monopolies that telecommunications industry has ever seen. During 1877, Western Union was quickly becoming a giant in the telephone industry. Western Union had the first telephone like in operation between Somerville, MA and Boston, MA. In 1880, 30,000 phones were in use. The telephone industry was growing very rapidly. Bell Company began leasing phones when the demand increased. Bell Company could not keep up with the demand, so Alexander Graham Bell sold his company. He offered to sell his company for $100,000 to Western Union, but they turned him down. Western Union would soon regret this mistake. Western Union would later form a rival phone company. They hired Thomas Edison and Elisha Gray to develop a new phone system. Edison would be in competition with Bell to determine who would wire America first. Out of this competition came the first switchboard, which was developed by Western Union. The Bell Company and Western Union went through many court battles, with each company accusing the other of fraud. The Bell Company eventually won, and in the 1880’s, the Bell Company became a massive monopoly. Switchboards were placed in many cities, and operators were needed to connect calls. The need for operators soon diminished when Amon Strowger developed the first dial telephone system. He and his firm would eventually manufacture step-by-step Central Office equipment, in 1892. The Bell Company would later lose its patent in 1893. By this time, J.P. Morgan bought the Bell Company, and it would soon be known as AT&T. Many independent phone companies formulated in the late 1890’s, and sparked widespread competition in the phone industry. The power shifted back and forth, between AT&T and the independent phone companies. J.P. Morgan bought out many of his competitors, and this caused the independent movement to eventually die out. AT&T would once again become a monopoly. But Alexander Graham Bell’s service would soon be needed again. AT&T brought him out of his retreat, and he was needed to help wire the two coasts. He would come out of his retreat, and successfully help wire the two coasts. Long distance calling eventually materialized from this, once again changing the telephone industry. Bell then turned his attention away from the telephone and worked on other things that were more important to him at that time. Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone not only became one of the most important inventions in the telecommunications industry, but also in the world. Bibliography: Word Count: 724
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