Alexander Graham Bell: The Man Behind the Telephone – Lichtenberger Engineering Library

Alexander Graham Bell is known as an inventor, scientist, and engineering.  He is well-known for his invention of the telephone and was involved in many other inventions.

His invention of the telephone came from his desire to help the deaf hear and had done research into speech articulation following his father’s work.  The patent was issued on March 7, 1876.  The telephone itself is clouded with controversy of who invented it first and lead to a series of lawsuits.  This includes lawsuits with such people as an Italian inventor, Antonio Meucci.  The most famous conflict is with Elisha Gray , who visited the patent office the same day as Bell had submitted his patent application with a claim on a similar design.  Bell eventually came up on top in these cases and, with in a year of patenting, set up the Bell Telephone Company.

After the telephone, Bell went on to completely different experiments and inventions.  Many of these were related to the areas of medical science.  He worked extensively on creating a mechanical breathing apparatus, the predecessor of the iron lung. He had hope to save the lives of drowning victims and premature babies. Bell also conducted research into heavier-than-air flight and founded the Aerial Experiment Association.

Bell sought to advance scientific knowledge and was one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.  He was the president from 1898 to 1903.

Learn More: 

References: 

• Bell, Alexander Graham, Photograph, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed March 3, 2014,  http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/76302/Alexander-Graham-Bell
• Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. “Alexander Graham Bell,” accessed March 03, 2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/59564/Alexander-Graham-Bell.

• Davis, Rick. 2005. 

  Alexander graham bell: Voice of invention

  . New York, NY : A&E Television Networks

• Schils, René. 2012. How james watt invented the copier: Forgotten inventions of our great scientists. New York, NY : Springer Science+Business Media, LLC Electronic Resource

• Shulman, Seth. 2008. 

  The telephone gambit : Chasing alexander graham bell’s secret / seth shulman

  . Vol. 1st ed. New York : W. W. Norton & Co.  

  TK6018.B4 S58 2008 Engineering Library

  .

• telephone: Bell inaugurating the telephone link between New York City and Chicago on Oct. 18, 1892, Photograph, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed March 3, 2014,http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/120540/Alexander-Graham-Bell-who-patented-the-telephone-in-1876-inaugurating