Today is Alexander Graham Bell Day.
Why March 7? It was on this day in 1876 that Bell received a patent for “transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically,” and on March 10, Bell made the now iconic statement, “Mr. Watson, come here. I need you,” which is recognized as the first telephone transmission.
Every day people use Alexander Graham Bell’s invention. Today’s version of his invention is handheld, even wireless, with a tiny computer that allows its holder to take photographs, access the World Wide Web, send text messages, and, guess what? Accept phone calls.
Here are a few facts about him you may not know:
He wasn’t given a middle name at birth. He always wanted one, so on his eleventh birthday, his father allowed him to choose one. He added “Graham” to his name, and began signing his name “Alexander G. Bell.”
He was the son of two people who taught elocution. He was also a person who thought that deaf people should learn how to speak. He had several deaf students, one of whom he eventually married: Mildred Hubbard. Throughout they marriage, he continued sought to invent new products to enhance the quality of life for the deaf.
He introduced Annie Sullivan, the teacher who ultimately made inroads to the deaf/mute Helen Keller.
He was born in Scotland, lived in London for a while, then to Canada, and also taught speech and elocution for a time at Boston University.
He’s often criticized by advocates for the deaf because he pushed deaf people to learn to speak and read lips instead of adopting American Sign Language.
He and his family had a house in Baddek, Nova Scotia. My husband and I visited that site when we went to Canada in 2015.
But enough about that!
In the 1950s, when I learned to use Alexander Graham Bell’s invention, I would pick up the phone and ask the operator to connect me with a particular number. We didn’t have area codes back then; in fact our numbers started with a word. My phone number back then was Edgewater 5-8771. It would go like this: “Hello, operator, would you please connect me to my Auntie Helen at Edgewater 5-8306?” “Yes, ma’am.” Then she would plug in some cords and my Auntie Helen would pick up the other end.
We had a party line, so if someone else wanted the phone, he or she would pick it up, and Auntie Helen and I would hear a big sigh. We’d know we had to wrap it up.
We self-dialing on rotary phones began, I remember that the phone company brought huge model dials to my neighborhood. Phone company staff demonstrated how to use the dials. If you stepped up and dialed correctly, representatives would give you a Hershey bar! You can bet that I did it right!
Then came touch-tone phones. People I knew tried to play songs on those. That led to “dialing” numbers that would be analogous to today’s “butt dialing.”
Now, here we sit, cell phones in hand, on Alexander Graham Bell day. Would he ever have thought that his simple contraption would morph into what we have today? The next time you send a text, access the Internet, or use an app on your cell phone, raise a glass to Alexander Graham Bell. WIthout that original, “Watson, come here, I need you” on March 7, 1876,” it just. might have taken a little longer for these handheld miracles to make their way into our world.
Hi, Wanda,
I believe Alexander Graham Bell would be shocked to see how much his invention has progressed. It was and still is a game changer. I didn’t know that he married a woman who was deaf. In that day and time, that was a very brave thing to do.
He was a man with a purpose and lived that throughout his life. I salute him for not ever giving up.
Happy March 7th, Alexander Graham Bell! Your dream still lives on.
Thank you for this interesting article. I learned some new tidbits about his life.
Shalom shalom
I did, too, Pat. When we visited his Canadian home in Nova Scotia about a decade ago, it was an interesting and inspiring stop. When he and his wife went there, it was a very peaceful place for him to conduct his experiments and develop inventions. He also had a pond where he could fish. A lovely setting.
Such an interesting blog Wanda, He was an amazing man and I think he helped the deaf community considerably with his ideals. I did not know that he married a deaf lady. When I was working and in admin. I had much to do with accessability to our hospitals,[5 in total]for those with a physical handicap. And was surprised to learn just how many people in our catchment area suffered with deafness.
Thanks for the education and hats off to Alexander Grahame Bell.
It’s a very interesting story. The woman he married had been one of his students. Such an interesting life he had! As a young man, he wanted a middle name, and his father “allowed” him to pick one when he was eleven years old! I never knew that children could ask for a middle name for a birthday present!
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. I used to think how ironic that his name was Bell like in ringing of the telephone. I also thought how ironic that Bell Telephone wasn’t among the first to connect us to the internet and mobile phones. They were a little late in the game. Same thing happened with I.B.M. They had Bill Gates and let him slip through their fingers. If you don’t catch the moment, you lose it. I still have my landline push button phone. I pass by the old IBM building most times when I’m heading in that direction.
Thank you Wanda for this piece of history.
Thanks for your comment, Shirley. We visited his home in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, about nine years ago now. It was very interesting to see his workshop there. The deaf community criticized him for only wanting deaf people to learn how to lip-read and learn how to speak; the deaf community wanted him to endorse American Sign Language.
He accomplished so much!
Thank you for the insight into Alexander Graham Bell. Not only was he a genius, but he was also a good person. I have a newfound respect for him.