Alexander Graham Bell

Definition

Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone.

Analogy

Think of Alexander Graham Bell as the Mark Zuckerberg of his time. Just like how Facebook revolutionized social networking, Bell's invention of the telephone completely transformed communication.

Related terms

Telephone: A device that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds.

Patent: A government authority or license conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.

Elisha Gray: An American electrical engineer who co-founded the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. Gray is best known for his development of a telephone prototype in 1876 in Highland Park, Illinois.