American History Tellers - History Daily: Alexander Graham Bell Makes the First Telephone Call
Episode Date: March 10, 2025March 10, 1876. Inventor Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call in history, revolutionizing human communication.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music ...app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.comHistory Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
It's January 25, 1915 at the exchange of the American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation
in San Francisco.
Inside, a roomful of smartly dressed businessmen talk among themselves, but when the clock
strikes one o'clock, a hush of anticipation settles across the room.
A phone rings, and all eyes go to the building's special guest,
the co-inventor of the telephone, Thomas Watson.
Four decades ago, Thomas and his former employer, Alexander Graham Bell,
revolutionized communications with their invention, the telephone.
Now, from opposite coasts, they're about to partake in another milestone by conducting
the first transcontinental phone call.
Excited whispers fill the room as Thomas lifts the receiver and holds it to his ear.
At first he hears nothing.
Then there's a slight buzz followed by the familiar soft Scottish accent of his former
employer.
Applause breaks out as Thomas confirms that he can hear Alexander Graham Bell all the
way across the country.
When the applause dies down, Thomas hears Bell say a sentence already burned into his
memory.
Mr. Watson, come here.
I want to see you.
It's the same sentence that Bell chose to utter on their first successful
telephone call years ago. But today Thomas has a different response to it. With a chuckle he
replies, I could, but this time it would take me a week to get to you. He smiles as Bell laughs on
the other end. Though they may be 3,400 miles apart, this moment feels just like that fortuitous day in Bell's attic
when the pair conducted their first ever phone call. Except this time the stakes are far lower.
Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson's conversation during the first transcontinental
call is a light-hearted recreation of events 39 years before. On that
occasion, Bell summoned Thomas with exactly the same words, only it was the first ever
telephone call and the line between them stretched simply from one room to another.
The event marked a triumph of not only the pair's engineering talent, but also their
competitive spirit. When that historic first call was made, telephone technology didn't yet exist,
but already it was a battleground for engineers. To become credited as the inventor of the telephone,
Alexander Graham Bell had to work fast and race against his rivals, until eventually the Scotsman
beat his competitors, kickstarting a technological revolution that will change the world when he made the first successful telephone call on March 10, 1876.
Get ready for Las Vegas-style action at Bed MGM, the king of online casinos. Enjoy casino
games at your fingertips with the same Vegas strip excitement MGM is famous for when you
play classics like MGM Grand
Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette.
With our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games,
and signature Bet MGM service, there's no better way to bring the excitement and ambiance
of Las Vegas home to you than with Bet MGM Casino.
Download the Bet MGM Casino app today.
BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly.
BetMGM.com for terms and conditions.
19 plus to wager, Ontario only.
Please play responsibly.
If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling
or someone close to you,
please contact Connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor, free of charge.
BED-MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario.
You just realized your business needed to hire someone like yesterday.
With Indeed, there's no need to stress.
You can find amazing candidates fast using sponsored jobs.
With sponsored jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates
so you can reach the people you want faster.
And just how fast is Indeed?
In the minute I've been talking to you, 23 hires were made on Indeed, according to Indeed
data worldwide.
There's no need to wait any longer.
Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed.
And listeners of this show will get a $100 sponsored job
credit to get your jobs more visibility at
indeed.com slash wonder ECA.
Just go to indeed.com slash wonder ECA right now and
support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this
podcast.
Indeed.com slash WonderyCA. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring? Indeed is all you need. Lindsey Graham, and this is History Daily.
History is made every day. On this podcast, every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is March 10, 1876. Alexander Graham Bell makes the first
telephone call.
It's the afternoon of June 2, 1875, in Boston, Massachusetts, 40 years before the first transcontinental
telephone call.
Inside a room in his attic laboratory, 28-year-old Alexander Graham Bell tinkers with a modified
telegraph machine.
Bell has been long interested in communication.
Born to a deaf mother, he first found work helping deaf people learn how to speak.
But Bell also has a passion for electrical engineering, and for the past few years he's
been experimenting with telegraph equipment.
Right now, only single-tone telegraphs exist.
They work by transmitting Morse code over wires, but they use only one frequency of
sound.
So Bell is investigating whether a single-tone telegraph machine could be altered to send
and receive different tones.
He reasons that if tones are of a different frequency, multiple messages could be altered to send and receive different tones. He reasons that
if tones are of a different frequency, multiple messages could be transmitted
at the same time over a single wire, making the telegraph network far more
efficient. But before Bell tests his modified telegraph, he checks it has
power and is set to receive a signal. Everything seems to be in order, so he
alerts his assistant Thomas Watson that he's ready. But seems to be in order, so he alerts his assistant Thomas Watson
that he's ready. But from the room next door Thomas shouts back that there's a problem with
his telegraph transmitter. Bell sinks to his seat with a sigh. Every day he treads between these two
rooms hundreds of times. Already his feet and back ache today. So he stays in his seat and asks
Thomas what the issue is. Thomas replies that one of
the vibrating reeds they're using to transmit tones is stuck to a magnet. Bell instructs him
to pull it off, but be careful not to damage it. Seconds later, Bell hears a tinny twang reverberating
as a reed comes free, but then jumps up with a start as he takes in what just happened.
The sound was more than just a single tone, and it didn't carry from next door, it came through the telegraph receiver
in his room. Bell excitedly calls for Thomas to stick the reed back to the magnet and pull
it off again, and he cups his ear next to the receiver and listens carefully. Once more
he hears the twang and there's no doubt about it. A proper, complex sound and not just
a single tone travel through the wire. The inventors rejoice at their breakthrough.
Bell points out that they've discovered more than just a way to transmit different single frequency
tones. They've developed a machine that can send a full spectrum of sounds across a wire.
And then he thinks they can take their discovery one step further. Bell imagines
that if they refine the machine, they could even transmit human voices. The prospect drives
Bell and Thomas to work tirelessly, refining and fine-tuning the invention they're calling
a telephone. It's tedious, repetitive, and difficult. For eight months, they struggle
to get their setup to transmit intelligible human speech. But Bell knows that other inventors are working on similar technology.
So before their invention is even complete, he instructs his attorney to put in a patent
application to ensure he is credited as the inventor of the telephone.
At noon on February 14, 1876, Bell's lawyer, Marsalis Bailey, makes his way into the Federal Patent Office in
Washington D.C. Marsalis walks to the front desk and explains his mission, handing over
Bell's application to patent what he describes as an improvement in telegraphy. The clerk
glances at the documents before placing them in the office's in-basket and returning
to his work. But Marsalis is not satisfied. Today's pile of patent
applications already in the office's in-basket is too high. He knows Bell is worried about
other inventors beating him to the punch, so Marsalis insists that his client's application
be filed immediately and begrudgingly the clerk obliges. This expedited filing will
prove consequential, because back in Boston,
Marcellus and Bell will learn that the Patent Office received another application for a voice
transmitting telegraph on the very same day. But even though Bell's application was filed a few
hours earlier, the rival inventor will claim that his application actually arrived first,
and this controversy will cast doubt on the proper recipient of the patent.
But it will not deter Alexander Graham Bell. The Scotsman will remain set on bringing his
invention to fruition before any competitors, and he will do all he can to make sure his
creation is better than any of his rivals, even if it means using potentially illegal means.
Hello, I'm Matt Ford. And I'm Alice Levine. potentially illegal means. What happens when a rebellious English woman of unimaginable means meets a handsome, mustachioed Irish nationalist? I'm guessing it's a Molotov cocktail of scandal.
You're always right, Matt.
We're unraveling the wild story of Rose Dugdale, an upper-class English heiress...
...who chucked it all away to join the IRA.
This is the IRA heiress.
We've got robberies, hijacks, bombings, and one of the most audacious art heists in British history.
What drives a woman with the world at her feet to turn her back on it all
and dedicate her life to ending British rule in Northern Ireland?
Find out by following British Scandal wherever you listen to podcasts
and binge entire seasons early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. take the news and boil it down to three essential stories. Listen to the up-first podcast from NPR.
It's early March 1876 in Washington, D.C., just over two weeks after Alexander Graham Bell's
lawyer submitted a patent application. Zenas Fisk Wilbur sits behind his desk at the United States Patent Office and stares at two
sets of documents. Each details a new invention, a way of transmitting speech through electric
wires. As the patent examiner in charge of electrical devices, it's Zenus' job to judge
the relative merits of the two conflicting applications before him.
But today that duty has been complicated by a sudden arrival.
Zena clears his throat and looks up at the man sitting on the other side of his desk,
Alexander Graham Bell.
Zena is not supposed to discuss patent claims with the applicants, especially when there
may be a conflict between parties.
But Bell was insistent that he meet with Zenas today.
As soon as his lawyer told him about the rival claim, Bell booked a train to Washington and
rushed to the Patent Office to request a meeting.
But before the inventor can begin pleading his case, Zenas outlines the problem he's
facing.
He understands that Bell has submitted an application for a new form of telegraph that
can transmit speech, but on the same day,
Elisha Gray, an engineer from Illinois, filed paperwork at the patent office for a remarkably
similar invention. Bell cuts in, urging the patent examiner to overlook the unfortunate timing,
and goes on to explain that he's been working on his invention for years and is close to a
breakthrough. It would be a shame not to be awarded the patent now."
Zenus nods sympathetically before extending an offer. He explains that Gray has submitted a
patent caveat, essentially a provisional application, saying Gray has the theoretical
knowledge to build a telephone but hasn't done so yet. On the other hand, Bell has submitted a full
patent application, and that means he has physical proof that his telephone works.
Assuming Bell has a functional telephone, Zenas says he will award the patent to him.
He then looks at Bell questioningly, but the inventor doesn't respond.
So Zenas asks outright, does Bell have an operational telephone?
Bell remains silent for a moment and shifts uncomfortably.
Then it dawns on Xenus that Bell has not yet built a telephone that works. His patent application
has been submitted too early. So Xenus declares that without a functioning telephone to speak of,
their meeting is over. But Bell refuses to give up. As Xenus begins collecting his papers,
the inventor reaches across the desk
and holds Xenus' sleeve. He asks whether it would be possible to check Grey's paperwork.
Xenus frowns, explaining that would be a breach of the office's rules. But Bell's eyes flip
down to the desk and Xenus follows his gaze, seeing that a hundred dollar bill has appeared
between them. Xenus pauses. This is a clear attempt at a bribe, but $100 is the same as his entire monthly salary.
After a moment's indecision, Xenis decides that allowing Bell a quick look at Grey's
application wouldn't do any harm.
Bell's patent application does, in theory, supersede Grey's caveat after all.
So Xenis sweeps the bill into his pocket and heads for the door.
He tells Belle that he's off for the bathroom, leaving the inventor free to inspect his rival's paperwork. Five minutes later, Xenus returns to his office and Belle is still seated by the desk,
looking pleased with himself. Then the inventor stands, shakes Xenus's hand, and announces he's
returning to Boston. He promises evidence of his working prototype will
be in the patent office soon. Zenas nods and says he'll send a letter to Gray informing him that
his patent caveat will be rejected since Bell has beaten him to making a functional telephone.
A few days later, Thomas Watson hears footsteps running up the stairs to Bell's attic laboratory.
He stands from his desk and leaves the equipment
he was cleaning to welcome his employer back, but he finds Bell is already hunched over his
notebooks and scribbling furiously. Thomas has seen Bell in similar moods before, and it usually
means he's thought of a new idea. Thomas peers over Bell's shoulder at a diagram of their telephone,
but as he looks closer, Thomas spots a new addition to the plans. Bell tells him that it's a diagram of their telephone. But as he looks closer, Thomas spots a new addition to the plans.
Bell tells him that it's a dish of acidified water. He explains that the liquid may be able
to transmit sound better than air, and it's possible that it could enable them to more
precisely vary the signals sent through their telephone. The resulting sound could be clearer
and perhaps help operators distinguish speech. Thomas thinks it's a clever idea and asks Bell how he came up with it. The inventor stutters and says it just
popped into his head on the train ride home. But the liquid transmitter likely
is not Bell's own idea. It could have been gained illicitly from Elisha Gray's
patent caveat. Nevertheless, armed with this new knowledge, Thomas and Bell will
spend the next frenzied hours modifying their telephone.
And within only a few days of his meeting in the patent office, Belle will make history
when he utters the first words transmitted in a telephone call.
What's up guys, it's your girl Kiki and my podcast is back with a new season and let
me tell you, it's too good, and I'm diving into the brains
of entertainment's best and brightest, okay?
Every episode, I bring on a friend
and have a real conversation.
And I don't mean just friends, I mean the likes
of Amy Poehler, Kel Mitchell, Vivica Fox,
the list goes on, and now I have my own YouTube channel.
So follow, watch, and listen to Baby,
This is Kiki Palmer on the Wondery app,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch full episodes on YouTube, and you can listen to Baby, This is Kiki Palmer on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch full episodes on YouTube and you can listen to Baby, This is Kiki Palmer early and ad
free right now by joining Wondery. And where are my headphones? Cause it's time to get
into it. Holla at your girl.
At 24, I lost my narrative or rather it was stolen from me. And the Monica Lewinsky that
my friends and family knew was usurped by
false narratives, callous jokes, and politics.
I would define reclaiming as to take back what was yours.
Something you possess is lost or stolen, and ultimately you triumph in finding it again.
So I think listeners can expect me to be chatting with folks, both recognizable and unrecognizable names,
about the way that people have navigated roads to triumph.
My hope is that people will finish an episode of Reclaiming and feel like they filled their tank up.
They connected with the people that I'm talking to and leave with maybe some nuggets that help them feel a little more hopeful.
Follow Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can listen to Reclaiming early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery
app or on Apple podcasts. It's March 10, 1876, in Boston, Massachusetts, three days after Alexander Graham Bell returned
from the Federal Patent Office. Once again, Bell and his assistant Thomas Watson stand
in separate rooms in their attic laboratory, each working on their prototype telephone.
But so far, they have not been able to transmit any speech through them. Bell creeps to the door and quietly closes it. When he tests his telephone
again he doesn't want Thomas to hear his voice float from room to room over the air.
He wants to be sure that it's transmitted only through the wire. Sitting down and picking
up the receiver of his telephone, Bell smiles as he leans in close and says, Mr. Watson, come
here, I want to see you. From the other room he hears a loud exclamation and then Thomas
bursts through the door. He heard Bell's exact words and repeats the sentence back.
The two men leap for joy. Bell moves into the receiver room and takes his turn listening
as Thomas picks up a book and begins reading the first page. Every word comes through, though occasionally muffled
and indistinct, there is still no doubt about it, their telephone works.
As word of their invention circulates, many celebrate the inventor's success,
but one person takes offense. Claiming Bell stole his idea, Elisha Gray takes the Scottish inventor to
court, but Gray ultimately loses their legal battle. Bell remains credited as the inventor
of the telephone, happily taking the glory for a device he is sure will change the world.
But not everyone agrees with Bell's grand estimations of the telephone, at least not at first.
When Bell forms a new telephone company in 1877, he offers shares to the nation's leading telegraph company,
Western Union. But they scoff at his new invention and refuse to put in a penny. Just a year
later, Western Union realizes its error and offers Bell $25 million for the patent rights
to the telephone. But by then it is too late.
Within 40 years, a telephone network will traverse the entire United States.
Twelve years after that, phone calls will be made across the Atlantic Ocean.
Now there are more telephones in the United States than there are people. Telephone communication has shrunk the world, allowing families to keep in touch around the globe and enabling businesses to close deals on the other side of the planet. All this and more became possible when Alexander
Graham Bell made the first successful telephone call on March 10, 1876.
Next on History Daily, March 11, 1973. in Greenwich Village, New York, the gay rights
campaign group PFLAG is formed by friends and family of gay men and women who want to
show support for their loved ones.
From Noyzer and Airship, this is History Daily. Hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham.
Audio editing by Mohammed Shahzeb.
Sound design by Molly Bach.
Music by Lindsey Graham.
This episode is written and researched by Scott Reeves.
Produced by Alexandra Curry-Buckner.
Executive producers are Stephen Walters for Airship
and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.
If you like American history tellers, used for Noiser.