Alexander Graham Bell’s Real Legacy

March 3^rd may not sound like a particularly important date, but at least in 1847, something world-changing happened on this date. It was then that the inventor Alexander Graham Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His most famous invention has evolved into devices he probably never imagined, but even the most advanced iPhone is a descended from Alexander’s first telephone.

Alexander’s family and upbringing gave him unique preparation for his future work. His mother was deaf, and his father and grandfather were experts on the mechanics of the human voice. As a boy, Alexander invented a way to communicate with his mother: by speaking so closely to her forehead that she could feel the vibrations from his voice.

After moving to Boston, Alexander started a school for the deaf, where he used his background to teach his students in creative ways. He remained devoted to his work with the deaf throughout his life; in 1890, he founded the American Association to Promote Teaching of Speech to the Deaf.

But Alexander had a passion for something else, too: inventing. His first project after moving to Boston was a harmonic telegraph. However, this work convinced him that it would be possible to transfer the human voice over long distances as well. His partner, an electrician named Thomas Watson, loved the idea. He worked with Alexander on both the telegraph and the telephone projects.

This process was anything but easy. For one thing, it took quite a while to convince Alexander’s financial backers that the telephone was worth pursuing. Even with their eventual support, the inventing process involved long hours and such high levels of stress that Alexander’s health began to suffer. He had to cut back on some of his other responsibilities, but he and Thomas Watson refused to give up.

Finally, in 1876, the two partners succeeded in transmitting Alexander’s voice through a wire. The telephone had finally been born! Alexander was only 29 at the time. He began the Bell Telephone Company the following year, and he made the first transcontinental telephone call—to his former business partner, Thomas Watson—in 1915.

While most will remember Alexander Graham Bell for his invention of the telephone, his greatest legacy spans much more. His persistence, problem-solving skills, and dedication to bettering the world through his gifts should be the greatest reasons for us to admire him. So feel free to think of Alexander the next time you’re on the phone, but he will probably smile bigger if you think of him the next time you choose to press forward.

Historical were found here.

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