Alexander Graham Bell 's Contributions

Patent for Bell telephone

Patent Number 174, 465 was issued in 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell was 29. It was a general patent that covered "The method of, and apparatus for, transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically...by causing electrical undulations, similar in form to the vibrations of the air accompanying the said vocal or other sounds." It was only three days later that one of the most memorable moments in modern history occurred, and it occurred mostly by accident.

Alexander Graham Bell and Watson were in different rooms, about to try out a new transmitter Alexander Graham Bell had described in his patent. The legend is that Alexander Graham Bell knocked over some battery acid and it spilled onto his clothes. He yelled: "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you," and Watson, who was down at the end of a hall in a closed room, heard him. He heard him because Alexander Graham Bell had just spoken the very first words ever to be transmitted electrically across wires.

Today historians question whether the part about the battery acid is true - neither Alexander Graham Bell nor Watson ever mentioned it in their records of the event. Later the two would also get into a friendly squabble over what exact words were spoken across the wires that day. Watson said it was: "Mr. Watson, come here, I want you," while Alexander Graham Bell claimed it was: "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you." But the point of course is that something was said, and more importantly, something was heard.

Alexander Graham Bell 's late contributions

Perhaps Alexander Graham Bell 's greatest fun in later life was his interest in flying. Always generous with his money, Alexander Graham Bell funded scientist Samuel Langley in his experiments with heavier-than-air machines. Alexander Graham Bell himself conducted experiments with kites strong enough to lift people in the air. And in 1907, when Alexander Graham Bell was 60 years old, he helped his wife Mabel Hubbard organize the Aerial Experiment Association which worked to advance the field of aviation. It was the first research organization established and endowed by a woman. Alexander Graham Bell was always a staunch supporter of women's rights and believed firmly that all people, no matter what gender, race, or creed, were entitled to vote. The Aerial Association developed the hydrofoil, a new form of speedboat that set a world record in 1919 of 71 miles per hour. The hydrofoil was Bell's last patent, filed in 1922, almost a half century after his first patent for the telephone. The principles of the hydrofoil are still being used today.

The contributions of Alexander Graham Bell were numerous and involved many fields of human endeavor and struggle. Yet he would not agree with the world's assessment of his achievements. Alexander Graham Bell is a rarity in the history of inventors - the inventions for which Alexander Graham Bell was most acclaimed, are those that meant the least to him. To Alexander Graham Bell his greatest work was his teaching and the ability he had to help those who couldn't hear, learn to speak.