Spotlight Magazine for North Mansfield March 2015 Spotlight Magazine for Mansfield North, March 2015 | Page 10

Spotlight Magazine Give Me A Bell Who was Alexander Graham Bell? Earlier this week I witnessed a remarkable thing – a room full of people who not once during the three hours they were together, took out a mobile phone to check emails, send texts, play games – or even make a call! It was remarkable because for most of us, the telephone is an integral part of modern life, an extension of ‘us’. The humble phone has come a long way since its creation nearly 140 years ago. I wonder what its inventor would make of it now?! Alexander Graham Bell was born in Scotland on 3 March 1847, and subsequently moved to Canada with his parents at the age of 23. With his father, grandfather, uncle and brothers all working in elocution and speech, and with a mother and wife who were both deaf, Alexander developed an interest in acoustics. Initially teaching the deaf how to speak, he finally decided to concentrate on experimenting with hearing devices and the transmission of sound via electricity, which culminated in the invention of the first practical telephone. 1876 – the same day as rival inventor Elisha Gray. Even now, there is controversy about who got there first – the Scotsman or the American – but generally it is accredited to Bell. Three days after the patent was issued on 7 March 1876, Alexander got his telephone to work for the first time. He made a call to his assistant in an adjoining room, uttering the words, “Mr Watson, come here. I want to see you.” Later that year, he and Watson had a conversation 2 miles apart and as development continued, they were ultimately able to make a transcontinental call in January 1915 which spanned 3,400 miles. By 1886, more than 150,000 people in the United States owned telephones. Today, over 90% of American adults own a mobile phone, bringing the total in operation to more than 327 million! Now, that’s what I call a success story! By Debbie Singh-Bhatti His innovative streak brought about some interesting results along the way! At the age of 16, he and his brother built a robotic head which they got to ‘speak’ a few words. Alexander then taught the family dog how to ‘talk’ by manipulating its lips and vocal cords to form a crude sounding “Ow ah oo ga ma ma” (How are you grandmama?”)! He’s also famous for inventing the metal detector, quickly put together following the assassination of US President James Garfield, in order to locate in his body the bullet that killed him. But back to the telephone...Bell filed for a US patent to cover the transmission of sounds telegraphically on 14 February 10 www.spotlightlocal.co.uk • 01623 706570 • [email protected]