Alexander Graham Bell
1847–1922 · Scottish-American · Gilded Age
Known for: Invented the telephone and founded the telecommunications industry
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone almost by accident while researching ways to transmit speech for hearing-impaired students. His mother was deaf and his wife Mabel was deaf from childhood. His first telephone message, 'Mr. Watson, come here—I want to see you,' became one of history's most quoted sentences.
Beyond the telephone, Bell worked on hydrofoils, flight, solar panels, and metal detectors. He co-founded the National Geographic Society. He was also controversial for his support of eugenics and his opposition to deaf culture.
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