March 10: Bell and Watson Talk on the Telephone (1876)
Prayer Idea
Pray for safety for children and wisdom for parents about using phones and other technologies.
History Note
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) was born in Scotland. His mother was nearly deaf, and his father taught deaf people how to speak. As a young man, he moved with his parents to Canada. Bell became a teacher at schools for deaf students.
Bell was interested in improving telegraph technology, which led him to consider the possibility of transmitting the human voice by wire. Bell filed a patent describing his proposed device in February of 1876, before he actually got it to work.
On March 10, Bell and his assistant, Thomas Watson, were in different rooms. Bell used the new device to summon Watson with the words “Mr. Watson — come here — I want to see you.”
Bell and Watson continued to refine their telephone for a public demonstration at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that summer. The Bell Telephone Company was organized in 1877.
Alexander Graham Bell married Mabel Hubbard in 1877. Mabel had lost her hearing at age five. This 1885 photo shows them with their daughters Elsie (left) and Marian.
Learn More
Watch this biography of Alexander Graham Bell.
Find more resources about the telephone at Homeschool History.
