Alexander Graham Bell Timeline

(March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922)

Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and teacher of the deaf, best known for inventing the first practical telephone. His work revolutionized global communication and he also made significant contributions to aviation, hydrofoils, and education for the hearing impaired. More Less

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Early Life and Education

Birth of Alexander Graham Bell in Edinburgh, Scotland

Mar 3, 1847

Alexander Graham Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Eliza Grace Symonds Bell and Alexander Melville Bell, a professor of elocution. Growing up in a family deeply interested in speech and communication, Bell developed an early fascination with sound and the mechanics of the human voice.

Image source: Alexander Graham Bell

Bell invents a dehusking machine as a boy

1858

As a young boy, Bell built a simple device with rotating paddles and nail brushes to remove husks from wheat grain. His friend's father rewarded him with a small workshop, encouraging his inventive spirit from an early age.

Bell teaches music and elocution at Weston House Academy

1863

At just 16 years old, Bell took a position as a pupil-teacher of elocution and music at Weston House Academy in Elgin, Scotland. This early teaching experience deepened his interest in speech and sound, laying groundwork for his later work with the deaf.

Bell studies at the University of Edinburgh

1864 - 1865

Bell attended lectures at the University of Edinburgh, studying anatomy, physiology, and other subjects that would inform his understanding of human speech and hearing. He continued his scientific education at University College London shortly afterward.

Image source: University of Edinburgh

Death of Bell's brothers from tuberculosis

1867 - 1870

Both of Bell's brothers, Melville James Bell and Edward Charles Bell, died of tuberculosis within a few years of each other. Their deaths, along with Bell's own fragile health, prompted the family to emigrate to Canada in search of a healthier climate.

Bell family emigrates to Canada

Aug 1870

Seeking a healthier environment after the deaths of two sons, the Bell family sailed to Canada and settled at a farm near Brantford, Ontario. The 'Henderson Home' became Bell's base as he began his North American career.

Bell becomes teacher of the deaf in Boston

Oct 1872

Bell moved to Boston and opened his own school for teachers of the deaf, later becoming a professor of vocal physiology and elocution at Boston University School of Oratory. His work with deaf students, including Helen Keller's eventual connection to him, became a lifelong passion.

Marriage to Mabel Hubbard

Jul 11, 1877

Bell married Mabel Gardiner Hubbard, a former student who had lost her hearing to scarlet fever as a child. Despite her deafness, their marriage was loving and enduring, producing four children, two of whom survived to adulthood.

Image source: Mabel Gardiner Hubbard

Invention of the Telephone

Bell begins experimenting with the harmonic telegraph

1873

Funded by Gardiner Greene Hubbard and Thomas Sanders, fathers of two of his deaf students, Bell worked on transmitting multiple telegraph messages simultaneously over a single wire using different musical pitches. This research ultimately led him toward voice transmission.

Thomas Watson becomes Bell's assistant

Nov 1874

Electrical machinist Thomas A. Watson was hired to assist Bell with his experiments. The partnership between the visionary Bell and the practical Watson proved essential to the development of the telephone.

Image source: Thomas A. Watson

Bell conceives the theory of the telephone

Jun 2, 1875

While working on the harmonic telegraph, Bell and Watson discovered that a stuck reed transmitted recognizable sounds, including Watson plucking a reed. This accident convinced Bell that intelligible human speech could be carried electrically over a wire.

Image source: Invention of the telephone

Bell receives US patent for the telephone

Mar 7, 1876

Three days before demonstrating speech transmission, Bell was granted US Patent No. 174,465 for 'Improvement in Telegraphy,' often called one of the most valuable patents in history. It covered the method of transmitting vocal sounds telegraphically.

Image source: Bell Telephone Company

First successful transmission of intelligible speech

Mar 10, 1876

Using an improved liquid transmitter, Bell spoke the famous words 'Mr. Watson — come here — I want to see you' into the first telephone, and Watson clearly heard them in the next room. This marked the birth of the telephone.

Demonstration at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia

Jun 25, 1876

Bell demonstrated his telephone at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, impressing judges including Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, who exclaimed upon hearing the device, 'My God, it talks!' The demonstration won Bell international attention and awards.

Image source: Centennial Exposition

First long-distance telephone call between cities

Aug 10, 1876

Bell made a call over an extended telegraph line from Brantford, Ontario, to Paris, Ontario, about eight miles away, demonstrating that the telephone could work over real-world distances rather than just between adjacent rooms.

Image source: History of the telephone

Bell Telephone Company is founded

Jul 9, 1877

The Bell Telephone Company was organized by Gardiner Hubbard and others to commercialize the telephone. Bell married Mabel Hubbard on the same day, beginning both a business enterprise and a marriage that would shape his life.

Image source: AT&T

First telephone exchange opens in New Haven

Jan 28, 1878

The world's first commercial telephone exchange opened in New Haven, Connecticut, serving 21 subscribers. This marked the beginning of telephone networks as a public utility and rapid growth for the Bell system.

Image source: Telephone exchange

Later Inventions and Research

Volta Laboratory established in Washington, D.C

1880

After winning the French Volta Prize of 50,000 francs for his invention of the telephone, Bell used the money to establish the Volta Laboratory in Washington, D.C., dedicated to research on communication for the deaf and new sound technologies.

Image source: Volta Laboratory and Bureau

Invention of the photophone

Feb 19, 1880

Bell and Charles Sumner Tainter invented the photophone, which transmitted speech on a beam of light. Bell considered it his most important invention, as it prefigured modern fiber-optic communications, though it found little commercial use at the time.

Image source: Photophone

Development of the graphophone

1885 - 1887

Working at the Volta Laboratory, Bell, Tainter, and Chichester Bell improved Edison's phonograph, creating the graphophone, which used wax cylinders instead of tinfoil for clearer, more durable sound recording.

Image source: Graphophone

Founding of speech teachers' association for the deaf

1890

Bell founded this organization, now known as the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, to promote oral education methods for deaf children, reflecting his lifelong advocacy for speech-based instruction.

Image source: Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Bell begins experiments with kites and aviation

1891

Long fascinated by flight, Bell began experimenting with tetrahedral kite designs, believing they could support heavier loads. His aviation research intensified after 1900 and led to significant contributions to early powered flight in Canada.

Image source: Aerial Experiment Association

Aerial Experiment Association is founded

Sep 30, 1907

Bell founded the Aerial Experiment Association with Glenn Curtiss, Casey Baldwin, Thomas Selfridge, and Douglas McCurdy, funded by his wife Mabel. The group produced several pioneering aircraft, including the June Bug, which won the Scientific American trophy in 1908.

Silver Dart makes first powered flight in Canada

Feb 23, 1909

The Silver Dart, built by the Aerial Experiment Association at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, flew about half a mile over the ice of Bras d'Or Lake, piloted by J.A.D. McCurdy. It was the first controlled powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.

Image source: AEA Silver Dart

Hydrofoil HD-4 sets marine speed record

Sep 9, 1919

Bell and Casey Baldwin's hydrofoil HD-4 reached a speed of 70.86 miles per hour on Baddeck Bay, setting a world marine speed record that stood for a decade. It demonstrated Bell's continued inventive energy into his seventies.

Image source: HD-4

Legacy and Honors

Bell wins the French Volta Prize

1880

France awarded Bell the prestigious Volta Prize of 50,000 francs for his invention of the telephone, along with the Legion of Honor. The prize money funded his subsequent research endeavors, including the photophone and the Volta Laboratory.

Image source: Volta Prize

Bell becomes president of the National Geographic Society

Jan 7, 1896 - 1904

Bell served as the second president of the National Geographic Society, transforming its magazine into one of the world's most popular publications by introducing photographs and accessible writing under editor Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor.

Image source: National Geographic Society

Bell receives the IEEE Edison Medal

1914

Bell was awarded the Edison Medal by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers for 'meritorious achievement in electrical science, engineering and arts' in recognition of his invention of the telephone and related contributions.

Bell's legacy honored through museums and commemorations

1922

Following his death, Bell's life and inventions have been celebrated worldwide, including the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, his induction into halls of fame, and enduring recognition of the telephone as one of history's most transformative inventions.

Image source: Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site

Death of Alexander Graham Bell

Aug 2, 1922

Bell died at his estate Beinn Bhreagh near Baddeck, Nova Scotia, at age 75 from complications of diabetes. As a tribute, all telephone service in the United States and Canada was silenced for one minute during his funeral.

Key Facts

Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland, into a family of speech and elocution experts.
He was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone on March 7, 1876, after successfully transmitting the famous words 'Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.'
Bell co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885, which became one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world.
His mother and wife were both deaf, which deeply motivated his lifelong work in teaching speech to the hearing impaired and developing devices for the deaf.
Beyond the telephone, Bell experimented with aviation, helping develop the Silver Dart, one of the first powered aircraft to fly in Canada, and founded the Aerial Experiment Association in 1907.

Source

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