The telephone was an instrument designed for transmitting and receiving the human voice. It allowed users to communicate with each other inexpensively and efficiently. The word telephone comes from the Greek words tele (which means far) and phone (which means sound). This word was used as early as the 17th century in which children would create imaginary telephones using strings attached to the ends. 

Before we had the invention of the telephones that we know of today, we had mechanical acoustic devices. These devices were used to transmit speech as well as music over long distances. One of these devices was the acoustic tin can telephone or otherwise known as the lover’s phone. The acoustic tin can telephone was a device created to transmit sound through physical mediums such as pipes. This device consisted of two diaphragms connected by string or wire. The diaphragms were typically made of metal which acted as sound-sensitive surfaces. The wire acted as the conduit for the vibrations, which allowed sound to travel from one diaphragm to another. 

We see a transition away from acoustic telephones when the first electromagnetic telephone was developed. In 1804, a Spanish polymath by the name of Francisco Salva Campillo constructed an electrochemical telegraph, which marked the beginning of electrically transmitting information. The electrical telegraph is the earliest form of the telegraph and it relied on electrical circuits to transmit information. It was an important alternative to traditional communication methods and offered a faster means of sending messages. The first working telegraph was then built by an English inventor known as Francis Ronalds in 1816 which used static electricity. Following this there were subsequent inventions such as the electromagnetic telegraph in 1832 by Baron Schilling and another one by Carl Friedrich Gauss/ Wilhelm Weber in 1833. Carl Friedrich Gauss and Wilhelm Weber’s work at the University of Gottingen allowed them to connect the observatory and the Institute of Physics, sending 8 words per minute between the 2 locations. 

The electrical telegraph was first commercialized by Sir William Fothergill Cooke. It was used by the Great Western Railway in England. This railway stretched 13 miles from Paddington station to West Drayton and came into operation on April 9, 1839. We see another electrical telegraph independently developed and patented in the United States in 1837 by Samuel Morse. Alfred Vail (Morse’s assistant) was pivotal in development and implementation of Morse code and the telegraph. Morse code was a system of encoding textual information using a series of dots and dashes. It provided a very efficient method for representing letters, numbers, as well as punctuation which made it very suitable for telegraph communication. The first telegraph message sent by Morse was the phrase “What hath God wrought” which captured the transformative nature of the invention of the telegraph. Morse code became a universal language for telegraph communication and can still be seen being used today. 

There were many setbacks regarding the telegraph. Despite the success of the telegraph, its reliance on Morse code and the need for trained users limited the accessibility of the device to the general public. Telegraphic communication was also point to point which meant that there needed to be a dedicated line for each conversation, making it very inconvenient for personal/ widespread use. The transition from the telegraph to the telephone signified an evolution in communication technology, as people were constantly on the search for faster and more efficient means of communication.

Next we have one of the most prominent contributors to the development of the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh Scotland. His family laid the foundation for his interest in speech and sound. Both his mother and wife were deaf, which fueled Bell’s passion to find innovative ways to communicate. Inspired by his work with deaf individuals, Bell conceptualized the idea of a device that could transmit voice over a distance. His breakthrough moment came in 1876 when Bell was awarded the first US patent for the invention of the telephone. His telephone was an “apparatus for transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically. Bell’s invention attracted a lot of attention, which leads to the founding of the Bell Telephone company in 1877. His company plays a very important role in commercializing the telephone and establishing the infrastructure for widespread adoption/usage. Although Bell was the first to patent the telephone, there were many controversies on who developed the idea first. Elisha Gray. an American inventor and electrical engineer, was also working on a similar device at the same time as Alexander Graham Bell. In February 1876, a few hours after Bell submitted his patent for the telephone, Gray also submitted his application to patent a similar invention. Gray’s device was also able to transmit voice and other sounds telegraphically. There were many legal disputes regarding the true origin of the invention but on March 7 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the patent. 

Before we had telephone exchanges, long distance communication was mostly done by electrical telegraph. As telephones emerged, their widespread adoption faced many obstacles. Telephones were usually paired directly which only allowed communication from homes and businesses which sort of acted like a simple intercom system. Tivadar Puskas who was a visionary saw a revolutionary shift from just one to one connections and collaborated with Thomas Edison on creating a telephone exchange system. The first commercial telephone exchange was used in New Haven on January 28, 1878. This would lead to the first commercially used switchboard created by George W. Coy. A switchboard was a component that allowed communication between different telephone lines. The switchboard consisted of a series of jacks and cords. Operators would manually connect calls by inserting plugs into specific jacks to create a temporary connection between 2 telephone users. This device allowed for more flexibility and control over connections and established multiple simultaneous conversations. George W. Coy would establish the District Telephone Company of New Haven on January 15, 1878. By 1880, the company would have the right to extend their services to all of Connecticut and western Massachusetts. The company will rename itself to the Southern New England Telephone in 1882. 

By 1904, there was over 3 million phones in the US which were connected by manual switchboard exchanges. On January 7, 1927, W. S. Gifford, who was the president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, would call Evelyn P. Murray to test the first commercial telephone line across the Atlantic Ocean. The early 20th century featured a long lasting telephone design which was notably known as Bell’s model 102. This model would then be replaced with the rotary dial introduced in the 1930s. The telephone network would expand and become more efficient by shifting from local batteries to central-office batteries for power supply. In December 1947, Bell Labs engineers Douglas H. Ring and W. Rae Young proposed hexagonal cell transmissions for mobile phones which lays the groundwork for cellular technology. April 3, 1973 would mark the beginning of the handheld cellular-mobile phone era where Motorola manager Martin Cooper would place a cellular-phone call to Dr. Joel S. Engel, head of research at AT&T’s Bell Labs.

The way we communicate has changed a lot with the introduction of digital telephone technology. A type of digital telephone called pulse-code modulation (PCM) would become possible in the late 20th century because of improvements in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) technology. This technology starts with the creation of the MOS field-effect transistor in 1958. The MOS field-effect transistor is an irreplaceable component in electronic devices. It uses an electric field to control the flow of electrons. This transistor was very compact and efficient, making it suitable for a variety of applications. This component lays the groundwork for the development of far more advanced and smaller electronic components. By 1980, a specific chip called silicon-gate CMOS PCM codec-filter, created by Hodges and W.C. Black, became the standard for the whole industry.  In the 1990’s, telecommunication networks like the regular phone network (PSTN) went through significant changes. These networks would shift to using special chips known as VLSI CMOS PCM codec-filters. Now, these chips are like smart helpers that make the phone network work better. They help turn our voices and sounds into digital signals that can travel quickly through the network. This switch to digital technology made phone calls clearer and more efficient (An example of this would be upgrading from an old radio to a modern smartphone). These chips would be used in various systems like phone exchanges, private branch exchanges, key telephone systems, modems, etc. Digital telecommunication networks improve a lot with the quick growth and shrinking in size of MOS technology. The British companies Pye TMC. Marconi-Elliot and GEC will develop the digital push-button telephone which is based on MOS technology in 1970. This telephone used clever logic to turn the buttons you press into signals that travel through the phone system. This MOS telephone also allowed users to store phone numbers on MOS memory chips. Between 1971 and 1973, Bell would join in on the development and would create a new “Touch-O-Matic” phone allowing the storage of up to 32 phone numbers. 

As we transition to the 21st century we see some new advancements. Internet Protocol telephony is a technology that challenges traditional telephone networks. Instead of using telephone lines, IP telephony relies on a broadband connection on the internet to send conversations as data packets. It not only replaces the traditional phone service but also competes with mobile networks by offering cheaper services through WIFI hotspots. The 21st century is now dominated by smartphones which have incredible features such as a touch screen, digital camera, internet access, and many more features to come as technology becomes more advanced. The telephone has really revolutionized the way we communicate and has become an indispensable tool connecting people around the whole world.

References:

Anderson, Janna. “1870s – 1940s: Telephone.” Elon University. 7 January 2023, https://www.elon.edu/u/imagining/time-capsule/150-years/back-1870-1940/#:~:text=The%20Development%20of%20the%20Telephone&text=While%20Italian%20innovator%20Antonio%20Meucci,for%20the%20device%20in%201876.

Bellis Mary. “How the Telephone Was Invented.” ThoughCo. 7 January 2023, https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-telephone-alexander-graham-bell-1991380

Morris, Jason. “History of the Telephone.” Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association. 7 January 2023, https://www.nationalitpa.com/history-of-telephone

Wikipedia contributors. “History of the telephone.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 8 January 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_telephone