Alexander Graham Bell Patents Telephone

There are very few world-changing inventions that can be credited to a single person.  Inventions such as the automobile, radio and light bulb were all the products of several bright minds and the telephone is no exception.  In actuality, Thomas Edison, Elisha Gray, Innocenzo Manzetti, and others all played a role in the invention of the electric telephone, but there is only one man that can be credited with receiving the first patent.

On this day, February 14th, in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for, and would later receive, the first patent for the telephone. Bell’s patent narrowly beat out Elisha Gray’s telephone patent, which was filed on the same day.  Bell’s patent was issued on March 7, 1876 and became the master patent of the telephone.  All other telephone patents would have to flow through Bell’s master design from that point forward.

The telephone quickly advanced from Bell’s early design to include telephone switchboards and networks.  Today the telephone is used by the majority of the world as a primary means of communication.  The patenting of the telephone changed the world and was one of the most important events in establishing Alexander Graham Bell’s legacy.