Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander
Graham Bell
inventor, engineer, and innovator who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone[7] and founding the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885.
Bell's father, grandfather, and
brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech and both his
mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell's life's work. His
research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing
devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent
for the telephone in 1876.[N 3] Bell considered his invention an intrusion on
his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study. [N
4]
Many other inventions marked Bell's
later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications,
hydrofoils, and aeronautics. Although Bell was not one of the 33 founders of
the National Geographic Society, he had a strong influence on the magazine
while serving as the second president from January 7, 1898, until 1903.
Early
life
Alexander Bell was born in
Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 3, 1847. The family home was at 16 South
Charlotte Street, and has a stone inscription marking it as Alexander Graham
Bell's birthplace. He had two brothers: Melville James Bell (1845–70) and
Edward Charles Bell (1848–67), both of whom would die of tuberculosis. His
father was Professor Alexander Melville Bell, a phonetician, and his mother was
Eliza Grace (née Symonds). Born as just "Alexander Bell", at age 10,
he made a plea to his father to have a middle name like his two brothers. [N 5]
For his 11th birthday, his father acquiesced and allowed him to adopt the name
"Graham", chosen out of respect for Alexander Graham, a Canadianbeing
treated by his father who had become a family friend. To close relatives and
friends he remained "Aleck".
Death
Bell died of complications arising
from diabetes on August 2, 1922, at his private estate in Cape Breton, Nova
Scotia, at age 75. Bell had also been afflicted with pernicious anemia. His
last view of the land he had inhabited was by moonlight on his mountain estate
at 2:00 a.m. While tending to him after his long illness, Mabel, his wife,
whispered, "Don't leave me." By way of reply, Bell signed "no...",
lost consciousness, and died shortly after.
Comments
Post a Comment