The Invention of the Telephone, Essay Example

Abstract

The paper discusses the invention of the telephone and its role in history. The conditions in which the creation of the telephone took place are discussed. The paper evaluates the contribution and influence of the telephone to the economic development and globalization. The aim of the paper is to discuss the evolution of the telephone and the effects of this evolution on society.

Telephone

The 19^th century was marked with a number of revolutionary inventions, of which the telephone was, probably, the most significant. A complex device that let people transmit voice messages electrically became a revolution communication technologies and the principal driver of the technological progress on the planet. Modern society cannot exist without the telephone. Cellular phones and pocket communication solutions make it easier to contact anyone, at any time and in any part of the globe. Telephone lines turned the world into a complex web of connections. The contribution of the telephone to the economic development and globalization is difficult to underestimate. Today, the telephone is an ever evolving technology, which shows no limits to improvement and can meet the most sophisticated communication needs.

Telephone: Inventing a Revolution

In 1875, when the telegraph was the most sophisticated communication technology in the world, a young professor in a machine shop not far from Scollay Square was desperately trying to launch an unknown machine (Casson, 2007). The machine was actually a combination of crude harmonica, a magnet, a clock-spring reed, and a wire (Casson, 2007). The young man did not notice the heat of the workshop and was completely absorbed by the technical toy too unlike anything every produced in his country (Casson, 2007). Before that crucial day in the middle of 1875, the professor had spent more than three years working on his device; finally, the sound TWANG marked a new stage in the technological and human development (Casson, 2007).

The TWANG sound was the first tiny shout of the newly born telephone (Casson, 2007). “Amidst flying belts and jarring wheels, the baby telephone was born, as feeble and helpless as any other baby, and with no language but a cry” (Casson, 2007, p. 5). The name of the professor was Alexander Graham Bell, and the invention of the telephone forever carved his name into the history of the human technical progress. Bell was the teacher of acoustics and a student in electricity, and worked hard to create a device that would let people transmit voice messages at a distance (Casson, 2007). It should be noted, that no discovery had ever been less accidental than the telephone (Casson, 2007). The invention of the telephone was the result of Bell’s persistent work and deliberate search (Casson, 2007). Bell had known the exact theory of the telephone months before his discovery, and all he had to do was to realize his theory in practice (Casson, 2007). Bell’s only mistake was in underestimating the efficiency of electricity in transmitting speech, but undulatory current generated by a small magnet finally brought Bell to his technical and creative triumph (Casson, 2007).

On March 7, 1876, the U.S. Patent Office granted Bell the most valuable patent ever issued (Coe, 2006). The title of the patent was “Improvement in Telegraphy” and had to secure for its inventor the basic principles of a telephone (Coe, 2006). The first telephone transmission that sounded “Mr. Watson, come here, I want you!” took place on March 10, 1876 and became the starting point in the subsequent chain of bigger and smaller telephone revolutions (Coe, 2006). At that time, the telephone was nothing but a liquid contact transmitter with a needle that dipped into a small cup of water with acid (Coe, 2006). The needle was attached to the diaphragm that made the needle vibrate in accordance with the speech vibrations (Coe, 2006). The vibrating needle changed the resistance of the electric circuit and, as a result, the undulating current needed for the speech transmission to be established (Coe, 2006). The first telephone offered to the public was represented by a single magnetic unit which fulfilled the functions of both the transmitter and the receiver (Coe, 2006). To carry the device from ear to mouth and back was absolutely inconvenient for users. Nevertheless, Bell, more than anyone else, realized the unbelievable potential of the telephone to foster the human progress.

The telephone was invented when telegraph was the dominant player in the telecommunications industry. In 1876, almost 215,000 miles of telegraph wires carried more than 30,000,000 messages through more than 8,000 telegraph offices (Ronell, 1991). At that time, people did not realize that telephony could present them with a unique advantage, combining the speed of telegraph and the human voice instead of traditional cryptic dashes and dots (Ronell, 1991). The first telephone was too radical and too unexpected for the public to immediately grasp its significance. Even the President of Western Union could not fully understand the extraordinary technical possibilities of the telephone (Ronell, 1991). History says that the President of Western Union refused to buy out Bell’s patent for $100,000 and to monopolize the telecommunications industry, because he did not even imagine how they could use that electric toy (Ronell, 1991). Just a century later, the telephone became a universal communication solution, but it took almost a decade for the 19^th century’s society to understand the significance of the invention and to make use of it (Ronell, 1991). Not only did Bell have to invent the telephone, but he faced a difficult task to explain the meaning of his invention to the public and to spread the message that the telephone would change the lives of millions on the planet. People continued to confuse telegraph with the telephone (Ronell, 1991). Bell, however, did not have any doubts about the unbelievable future of his invention. He envisioned miles of telephone lines and cables that would unite private dwellings, shops and country houses, businesses and manufactories into one single web of telephone connections, would allow establishing direct communications between any two parts of the city and would let a man communicate with any other person in a different place (Ronell, 1991).

The Invention of the Telephone: Evolution and Contribution

Many years have passed since the moment Bell made the first telephone call. Today, telephones are dramatically different from the way they used to be a century ago. Bell’s telephone could carry a signal at a distance of 20 miles at most, but the invention of the carbon microphone improved significantly the quality of the transmission (Ronell, 1991). By the end of the 19^th century, the multiplexing technology increased the transmission capacity of the telephone lines, while the development of the switchboard gave AT&T the monopolistic advantage in the telecommunications industry (Ronell, 1991). In 1927, the first radio telephone link was used to create a long distance service between the U.S. and England (Ronell, 1991). Since 1950, microwave stations could process almost 20,000 calls at the same time (Ronell, 1991). 1962 was the beginning of the digital transmission; in 1970, the first fiber optics cable was used instead of copper lines (Ronell, 1991). Modern telephones are more than a device for transmitting voice conversations. Telephones comprise numerous functions, including faxes, modems, and voice conferences. Cellular technology expands mobile telecommunication opportunities. A number of available frequencies are used to ensure that the lines can support all conversations as soon as the telephone is activated (Ronell, 1991).

The contribution of the telephone to globalization and economic development is difficult to underestimate. Hardy (1980) writes that the telephone became the turning point in the rapid economic development for a number of countries. The telephone became one of the primary globalization drivers; rapid improvements in communication technologies foster exchange of ideas and information which contribute to connectivity and create a complex web of relationships between individuals and businesses around the globe. Today, the telephone is an indispensable component of daily routine. Despite its technological sophistication, there is still much room for improvement. The telephone is a technology which shows no limits to technological advancement and will continue to change, to meet the ever growing human needs for better communication.

Conclusion

The telephone became one out of many revolutionary inventions in the 19^th century. However, no other invention and device ever made a contribution to the human technological and economic progress close to that of the telephone. The telephone marked the beginning of the new stage in human evolution. The telephone turned the planet into a complex web of relationships and connections. Today, the telephone much different from the way it looked a century ago. Nevertheless, it is the technology that shows no limits to improvement and will continue to change, to meet the ever growing human needs for better communication.

References

Casson, H.N. (2007). The history of the telephone. Echo Library.

Coe, L. (2006). The telephone and its several inventors: A history. New York: McFarland.

Hardy, A.P. (1980). The role of the telephone in economic development. Telecommunications  Policy, 4, 4, 278-286.

Ronell, A. (1991). The telephone book: Technology, schizophrenia, electric speech. University of Nebraska Press.