The Machines That Built America Alexander Graham Bells Revolutionary Invention S1 History

Alexander Graham Bell is granted his telephone patent in 1876. But he still needs to create a working prototype, and he feels the pressure to work fast. But after a long year of trial and error, trying to transmit his voice, Bell begins to lose hope. Come here. I want to see you. I heard you. I heard what you said. What did I say? You said, Watson, come here. I want to see you. Switch places. Mr. Bell, do you understand what I say? Before Bell, the telegram was the only way for real-time communications, and it was sending simple messages in dots and dashes in Morse code. Imagine that compared to actually being able to hear a real voice on either end. That's something that many more people would be excited about, and it actually tied humanity together. Bell's vision will revolutionize communication, creating an industry that connects the world in ways he never dreamed. But first, he must persuade Hubbard to give up competing with Western Union and back his invention. I think we're really onto something here. Voices, you say? Yes. And if we can refine the process, this could replace the telegraph. What is this going to cost me? This was not what Gardner Green Hubbard had signed up for. He had signed up for, like, a quick adventure that would get a patent. Fortunately for Bell, Hubbard actually has the foresight to realize that this telephone might be even larger of an idea than the telegraph. Hubbard insists they should promote Bell's new device, and he knows just where to do it. In the spring of 1876, Philadelphia hosts a massive World's Fair to celebrate the centennial. Some 10 million people attend. These World's Fairs were collective national pats on the back, but they were also promotional events for people who had some new idea, and they wanted to show the world what they could do. You could call them consumer trade shows, and if you can impress the audience, then perhaps you can make your product eventually a reality. Bell's telephone demonstration includes a familiar face. Mr. Bell, Mr. Gray, gentlemen and lady, I invite you to listen on this receiver here. I will transmit my voice from a device down the hall. It's the moment of truth for Bell's new invention. If it works, it has the potential to revolutionize communication and earn Bell and Hubbard a fortune. Put yourself in Gray's shoes. How calm would you have remained if you had been sitting there seeing your life's work in front of you? I believe I heard him say, Bye, there's the rope. Bell's device captivates the public, earning him the exhibition's top prize. People can't believe what they're seeing and hearing. The fact that human voices seem to be emerging from this contraption, it's beyond magical. Thank you. I give you credit. My submission to the passing office had a similar idea. But of course, I hadn't actually built the telephone. Just one year after Bell presents his telephone at the centennial celebration in Philadelphia, his new device begins to pop up in select locations. The inventory's ready. Including the place where Bell first met Watson, his local machine shop in Boston. Usually the early adopters were only making a call to a couple of places not far from home. They might be doctors who wanted to connect themselves to a hospital to receive calls in the middle of the night, or business people who were wealthy who often wanted a single line from their house to their place of work. Making a telephone call could be an ordeal in the early days. For one thing, you didn't just pick up the receiver and ask the operator, connect me with such and such, and you'd get connected. It would be a call connection delay. Could take time. And the quality of the call is terrible. People described the sounds of these early telephones as being filled with other people's voices, cross-talk, weird sounds of, like, wind and static, weird high-pitched sounds like chirping. You had to yell to make yourself heard, and the further the line went, the signal got quieter and quieter. Some are just plain scared of the new technology. There was something called telephone terror, which was a fear of picking up this thing and talking into it, and it was widespread. Goodbye! Bell's investor isn't afraid. He knows Bell's invention needs vast improvement, but he sees a windfall. On July 9, 1877, the Bell Telephone Company launches, with Hubbard as president and Bell as chief electrician and largest shareholder. It will eventually become known as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T.