The invention of the telephone

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded a patent for his design of the telephone. There were many people who were credited with the invention of the telephone, such as Thomas Edison, Elisha Gray and Antonio Meucci, but it was Alexander Graham Bell who was given the first patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, with his patent being considered the master patent.



Since the telephone was first invented, it has evolved in several different ways. The first example of how the telephone has progressed is the evolution of the telephone model. The first kind of telephone that was common was the hand-cranked phone, where callers had to crank the phone and then connect to the operator, who would connect you to the person who you wished to call.



The next most popular type of telephone was the candlestick telephone, which to begin with came without a rotary dial, but was then adapted to include a rotary dial. The phone was designed in a similar fashion to the hand-cranked telephone, with the mouthpiece part of telephone being separate to the earpiece.



The phone people are most familiar with is the desk telephone, first of all featuring a rotary dial and then featuring push buttons. This type of telephone features a unit, with all the buttons on it and the mouthpiece and earpiece now together, but connected to the base unit with a cord. This type of phone was also developed into the cordless phone, with these two types of phones being the most common types of telephone today.



The next major progression in the telephone market was the mobile phone, which was first launched in 1983. While mobile phones started out only being able to make calls, they have now evolved to allow users to send text messages, send emails, browse the internet, take photos, record videos and listen to music on. Mobile phones have opened up the world of communication, meaning you don't need to be at home or near a pay phone to be able to call or communicate with someone.



While desk and mobile telephones are always going to be popular, users now have the ability to make cheap calls to other users using their computers. Users can use the microphones and webcams to chat to their friends and family from all over the world.



The telephone has now been around for over a hundred years, and it is clear that the technology will keep evolving and changing to suit the users' needs.



Jennifer is a part of the digital blogging team at shoutingindigital.com who work with brands like Skype. For more information about me, or to keep up to date with the latest in retail news, check out my posts at shoutingindigital.com or visit my Twitter account, @shoutingID.