Alexander Graham Bell Biography

Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born scientist. He was the person who invented the telephone in 1887.  He started his work on inventing the telephone in 1876. He also invented many communication instruments and hearing aids for the deaf. During his lifetime he held more than 18 patents. Bell came across many experiments on sounds. Further, he was eager to help their wife and mother to communicate. He was such an intelligent person. So he and his assistant Thomas Watson worked together to invent the telephone.  Both together also worked on other inventions like flying machines and hydrofoils. 

Alexander Graham Bell Birthplace and His Early Life

Edinburgh in Scotland was Alexander Graham Bell birthplace. He was born on 3rd March 1847. According to the Alexander Graham Bell biography, he was the second son of Alexander Melville Bell and Eliza Grace Symonds Bell. His parents were named after his paternal grandfather, Alexander Bell. When he was at the age of 10, he added the middle name “Graham” with his name. Melville James Bell and Edward Charles Bell were the brothers of Alexander Graham Bell, but both of them died due to tuberculosis.

During a young age, Alexander Graham Bell was strongly influenced by their family and environment.  He was a native citizen of Edinburgh in Scotland. This place is named “Athens of the North”, which means rich in culture, arts and science. Father and grandfather of Graham Bell were an expert in mechanics of voice and elocution. Also, Bell's mother was deaf, which motivated him a lot to undertake big challenges.

Education Of Alexander Graham Bell

Eliza kept her son in home-schooling and instilled an infinite curiosity of the world around him. He also received one year of formal education in a private school and another two years at Royal High School. Bell was a common student, but he has an uncommon ability to solve problems and learn. Also, he has a great interest in science. While playing with his friend in a grain mill, the bell was at the age of 12. That time he noticed the slowly processing husk separation instrument from wheat. Later, he went home and developed a new device, which rotates paddles and nail brushes, through which the husks can be removed from the grains. 

Early Career 

From his young age, he was groomed to carry over his family business. But his greater intelligence made him enter into conflict with his father's overbearing manner. In 1862, Alexander came out of his family to take care of his grandfather, who was ill. Elder brother of Alexander helped and appreciated all his learning and intellectual pursuits. While Alexander attained the age of 16, he joined with his father’s work and carried over full charge of his family business in London. 

Alexander’s father made a trip to North America and he considered that was a healthier environment. And planned to move their entire family. Initially, Alexander resisted that because of this establishment in London. But he agreed, while both his brothers died due to tuberculosis. In 1873, Bell’s family settled in  Brantford, Ontario in Canada. Lanter, Alexander settled up a workshop in Brantford to continue his study of the human voice.

As per Alexander Graham Bell short biography, On 11th July 1877, he married Mable Hubbard, who was a former student and the daughter of Gardiner Hubbard. Gardiner Hubbard was one of his  early financial backers. Mable Hubbard was also deaf from her early childhood. 

Invention Of Alexander Graham Bell 

Alexander Graham Bell got great credits for his telephone invention. But he held 18 patents along with 12 patents, which were shared with collaborators.

Invention Of Telephone 

On 10th March 1876, after a year of work, Bell completed his most well-known invention, the telephone. And made the first call through Telephone, 

In 1871, the bell started working for a device known as the multiple or harmonic telegraph, meanwhile, he moved to Boston. Usually, the harmonic telegraph will transmit several messages set to different frequencies. He satisfied his financial needs for invention through local investors Thomas Sanders and Gardiner Hubbard.

He also spent long days and nights of 1873 and 1874 inventing the perfect harmonic telegraph. During his expirentment, he got interested in transmitting the human voice over wires. His diversion during invention frustrated his benefactors. So, he hired a skilled electrician, Thomas Watson and Bell refocused on the harmonic telegraph. Meanwhile, Watson got an idea about Bell’s new idea and they started being a great partner and worked on voice transmission. Bell usually used to express all his ideas and Watson tried out to make them into reality. Throughout the years 1874 and 1875, both Bell and Watson worked on the harmonic telegraph and a voice transmitting device.

In 1876, Bell and Watson successfully designed a device. According to Alexander Graham Bell biography book, he knocked over a container, which has transmitting fluid and said  “Mr Watson, come here – I want to see you”. The same voice of Bell heard by Watson through wire over the noise. If Watson heard the same voice through the wire, that must be a telephone call. By taking this experiment as a base, The bell started to promote the telephone in a series of public demonstrations. In 1876, Bell demonstrated the telephone to the Emperor of Brazil in the Centennial Exhibition. That time Dom Pedro exclaimed his invention as My god it talks. Meanwhile, Bell also demonstrated another experiment, which was extremely different from the telephone experiment. 

On 9th July 1877, The Bell Telephone Company was organized. In January 1915, Bell invited legends to know about making the first transcontinental phone call. For the first time, he has spoken to his former associate Watson in San Francisco from New York. 

Other Inventions Of Alexander Graham Bell 

Still in 1880, he was not such a good businessman. After that, he began to turn business matters over to Hubbard. He also attempted a wide range of inventions and intellectual pursuits and turned them into Businesses. 

In 1880, Bell established the Volta Laboratory, which was especially for doing scientific research and experiments in  Washington, D.C. Later, he got fascinated with flights. So, he began his experiments for inventing flying machines and devices. In the 1890s he invented and designed the tetrahedral kite. Bell developed the Aerial Experiment Association with Glenn Curtiss and several other associates in 1970. Researchers in this group developed several flying machines, which includes the Silver Dart.  Silver Dart was the first powered aircraft, which was flown in Canada. Later Bell worked in hydrofoils and made a world record with the speed of this type of boat. 

Legal Challenges For His Inventions 

After the wedding in 1877, Alexander and Mable returned to the US and demonstrated the concept of the telephone in Europe. He received a summons from Washington D.C Lawsuits to defend his telephone patent. 

Even others started to claim that they had invented the telephone or had conceived of the idea before Bell. In the following years, The bell telephone company faced about 550 court challenges, which includes several Supreme Court cases. But no other person succeeded. Even during the patent battle between 1877 to 1886, About 150,000 people from the United States owned telephones. Thomas Edison made many inventions regarding the improvements of telephone-like microphones, which helped to minimize the size of the telephone and improved the quality of message on the receiver side. 

Later Part Of Alexander Graham Bell Short Biography

Bell spent most of his life helping deaf people. In 1890, He also established the American Association to Promote Teaching of Speech to the Deaf. After eight years from 1890, Bell took charge as the president of a small, little-known U.S. scientific group, the National Geographic Society. Through that, they helped make their journal into one of the world's most-loved publications. Alexander Graham Bell was the one who founded the Science magazine.

On 2nd August 1922, Bell died at his home in Baddeck on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. After his death, the entire telephone system was put shut for one minute to make a tribute to his invention.