Officially, it is said that 29 year old Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. However, he was not the only one who had come up with a mechanism that could transmit speech electrically. Besides Bell, the other was a gentleman called Elisha Gray. Once these two independent machines were made and ran successfully, both men rushed to the official process of legalising their inventions by patenting them. It was here that Graham Bell won the mini race when he obtained the patent first. A legal battle then followed but once again luck seemed to be on Bell's side and he won.
Bell accidentally thought about the idea of the telephone while trying to better the function of the telegraph. The telegraph at that time could only send a single message at the time. Bell's in depth knowledge about sound and signals was the key in helping him to figure out a way to transfer multiple messages at one time.
Bell accidentally thought about the idea of the telephone while trying to better the function of the telegraph. The telegraph at that time could only send a single message at the time. Bell's in depth knowledge about sound and signals was the key in helping him to figure out a way to transfer multiple messages at one time.