Welcome to April 25 National Telephone Day #NationalTelephoneDay which is a wonderful Homeschool Resource because we can study telephones and Alexander Graham Bell and then listen to I Just Called To Say I Love you or Here’s A Quater Call Someone Who Cares allowing us to enhance our music studies.
We have come a long way. If you ask most people who invented the phone, they would likely respond not with “Alexander Graham Bell,” but with “Steve Jobs.” Apple’s 2007 iPhone release did change mobile technology forever. A camera, iPod, computer, and phone all in one handheld device? Sounds quaint now, but tell that to the folks who lined up for days trying to purchase this invention.
On April 25th, we observe National Telephone Day. Around the world, there are 9.82 billion mobile phones. And while some predicted the landline to be obsolete by 2020, there are still about 931 million landlines around the world.
The whole world knows Alexander Graham Bell had invited the telephone but had his attorney been delayed by foul weather or poor planning, the answer may be a different name. On February 14, 1876, Marcellus Bailey, one of Alexander Graham Bell’s attorneys, rushed into the U.S. Patent office in Boston to file the patent for what would be the telephone.
Later the same day, Elisha Gray filed a patent caveat for a similar device. A caveat is an intent to file for a patent. There was also a third contender. Antonio Meucci filed a caveat in November of 1871 for a talking telegraph but failed to renew the caveat due to hardships. Because Bell submitted his record first, the patent office awarded Bell the patent on March 7, 1876. Gray contested this decision in court, but without success.
Alexander Graham Bell was born March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Alexander Graham Bell taught at a boys’ boarding school. The sounds of speech were an integral part of Alexander Graham Bell life. His father developed a “Visible Speech” system for deaf students to communicate. Alexander Graham Bell would later become a friend and benefactor of Helen Keller. Three days after the patent was approved, Alexander Graham Bell spoke the first words by telephone to his assistant. “Mr. Watson, come here! I want to see you!”
By May, Alexander Graham Bell and his team stood prepared for a public demonstration. And there would be no better place than the grand stage of the World’s Fair in Philadelphia. On May 10, 1876, in a crowded Machinery Hall, a man’s voice transmitted from a small horn and carried out through a speaker to the audience. One year later, the White House installed its first phone. The telephone revolution began.
Bell Telephone Company was founded on July 9, 1877, and they installed the first public telephone lines from Boston to Sommerville, Massachusetts, the same year. By the end of the decade, nearly 50,000 phones existed in the United States. In May of 1967, phone companies across the Country installed the 100 millionth telephone line.
Let’s OBSERVE NATIONAL TELEPHONE DAY
- Celebrate National Telephone Day by calling someone and wishing them Happy National Telephone Day!
- If you have a landline phone or a older cell phone which would be considered vintage take a picture of the phones and share them on social media.
Educators, visit the National Day Calendar® Classroom for lessons designed around National Telephone Day.
In May of 1967, the 100 millionth telephone line was installed in the United States. On May 11th, governors and dignitaries for U.S. territories joined President Lyndon Johnson on the largest conference call ever held up to that date. Each governor, dignitary, and the President were issued gold phones to commemorate this event At the same time, a proclamation was issued declaring May 12th as National Telephone Day. There is no record of the holiday being observed again on that date.
Fats about Phones
Did you know payphones still exist however, the number of payphones began declining in the mid-1990s. If you’re looking for a payphone, some Cities and States have payphone maps. You might even find payphones in public places like federal offices, libraries, transportation hubs, large shopping centers, and gas stations. although I personally haven’t seen them in my City. Have you? Motorola invented the first mobile phone called the DynaTAC 8000x in 1983. Do you remember the DynaTAC 8000x because I sure don’t.
A. The first smartphone which was the Simon Personal Comminicator was released in 1994 by IBM.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and Charlie Cates
