Inventors
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL (1847-1922)
Important Inventions: The first Telephone
Background: Alexander Graham Bell was born to two very enthusiastic parents who enjoyed teaching and helping kids. His mom looked after him and his brothers and taught them through there elementary years. His father worked as a professor of elocution and the art of speech. He helped people with hearing problems and taught people how to speak very clearly. Also Alexander's mom, Eliza, also had hearing problems, and wasn't to school her sons for a very long time. This family background interested Alexander extremely. He also got into teaching for a while in Scotland (where he was born, and his family lived), during the time that he taught, he also researched speech experiments. Soon he moved to London with his family and helped his father develop a system of visible speech. He also helped teach the new systems. He continued to study speech as a hobby, and continued to wonder if speech could be transmitted by waves of electricity through a wire. Soon his family moved to Canada to have a healthier and better life. Alexander got a job at a school that was for children with hearing and speech problems using Visible Speech. Alexander still continued his experiments, and was know focusing on the Telegraph. Alexander than became a professor at of vocal physiology at the University in Boston. This is where he met Mabel Hubbard, who he fell in love with (later on they got engaged and married). As Alexander got to know more about Mabel's parents and met them, he soon realized that Mabel's parents were very rich (her father was a business man) and were willing to help Alexander succeed in his dream to invent a device that could transmit voice through electricity across wires. Mabel's parents founded Alexander in his inventions,provided him with a workshop, and hired him and assistant who was an electrician. His name was Thomas Watson, and he provided a lot of knowledge about electricity. With much help from Thomas Watson, Alexander Graham Bell finally finished his Telephone and his invention patent was accepted in March 1876. It was official, the Telephone was invented.
(To learn more about the process of the Telephone being invented, how it was invented, and what the flaws were go to The Telephone-1876 tab under Modes of Communication.)
Important Inventions: The first Telephone
Background: Alexander Graham Bell was born to two very enthusiastic parents who enjoyed teaching and helping kids. His mom looked after him and his brothers and taught them through there elementary years. His father worked as a professor of elocution and the art of speech. He helped people with hearing problems and taught people how to speak very clearly. Also Alexander's mom, Eliza, also had hearing problems, and wasn't to school her sons for a very long time. This family background interested Alexander extremely. He also got into teaching for a while in Scotland (where he was born, and his family lived), during the time that he taught, he also researched speech experiments. Soon he moved to London with his family and helped his father develop a system of visible speech. He also helped teach the new systems. He continued to study speech as a hobby, and continued to wonder if speech could be transmitted by waves of electricity through a wire. Soon his family moved to Canada to have a healthier and better life. Alexander got a job at a school that was for children with hearing and speech problems using Visible Speech. Alexander still continued his experiments, and was know focusing on the Telegraph. Alexander than became a professor at of vocal physiology at the University in Boston. This is where he met Mabel Hubbard, who he fell in love with (later on they got engaged and married). As Alexander got to know more about Mabel's parents and met them, he soon realized that Mabel's parents were very rich (her father was a business man) and were willing to help Alexander succeed in his dream to invent a device that could transmit voice through electricity across wires. Mabel's parents founded Alexander in his inventions,provided him with a workshop, and hired him and assistant who was an electrician. His name was Thomas Watson, and he provided a lot of knowledge about electricity. With much help from Thomas Watson, Alexander Graham Bell finally finished his Telephone and his invention patent was accepted in March 1876. It was official, the Telephone was invented.
(To learn more about the process of the Telephone being invented, how it was invented, and what the flaws were go to The Telephone-1876 tab under Modes of Communication.)
SAMUEL F. B. MORSE
Important Inventions: Improvement of the electrical Telegraph and Morse Code
Background: Samuel F.B. Morse grew up in Charlestown Massachusetts, to two very scholarly parents who were very supportive of their son, and they sent him to Yale College. He was intrigued by the lectures about electricity, but when he graduated college, his interests changed from a determined scholar interested in electricity to a painter. He had painted in college as a hobby, and now decided to focus more on it. His parents payed for him to go to England to study art, and increase his abilities, but after he finished studying he decided to stay in America and he became a traveling painter for New York, New England, and South Carolina creating some of the most amazing paintings of the time.Although he enjoyed painting for these states in America he realized that his paintings and art in general was not as well respected as it was in England. This made him determined to change these thoughts about art. He started putting art out there more. He founded the National Academy of design in 1827, which was a school, whose goal was to get more American support for painters. Morse dabbled with many interests throughout his life he was a very good scholar, a very good artist particularly painting, a natural leader (he helped start the New York journal of Commerce in 1826), interested in electricity and invented, later in life an Philanthropist, and an overall curious person. After returning from England and overhearing the talk about the new electromagnet, and an electric Telegraph, Morse was majorly intrigued by this idea. He was not the first to think about the idea of an electric Telegraph, though we think he had the first proposal. He achieved his first working model in 1835. Though he was working on this invention he wasn't fully committed until 1837, up until then he was still teaching art and involved with it. He then became partners with a few people and continued to work on the Telegraph and then in 1838 he created Morse Code, a code of dots and dashes sent through the Telegraph. Morse had changed everything in the means of the society of communication.
(To learn more about the process of the Telegraph being invented and how it was invented, go to the Telegraph-1837 tab under Modes of Communication.)
Important Inventions: Improvement of the electrical Telegraph and Morse Code
Background: Samuel F.B. Morse grew up in Charlestown Massachusetts, to two very scholarly parents who were very supportive of their son, and they sent him to Yale College. He was intrigued by the lectures about electricity, but when he graduated college, his interests changed from a determined scholar interested in electricity to a painter. He had painted in college as a hobby, and now decided to focus more on it. His parents payed for him to go to England to study art, and increase his abilities, but after he finished studying he decided to stay in America and he became a traveling painter for New York, New England, and South Carolina creating some of the most amazing paintings of the time.Although he enjoyed painting for these states in America he realized that his paintings and art in general was not as well respected as it was in England. This made him determined to change these thoughts about art. He started putting art out there more. He founded the National Academy of design in 1827, which was a school, whose goal was to get more American support for painters. Morse dabbled with many interests throughout his life he was a very good scholar, a very good artist particularly painting, a natural leader (he helped start the New York journal of Commerce in 1826), interested in electricity and invented, later in life an Philanthropist, and an overall curious person. After returning from England and overhearing the talk about the new electromagnet, and an electric Telegraph, Morse was majorly intrigued by this idea. He was not the first to think about the idea of an electric Telegraph, though we think he had the first proposal. He achieved his first working model in 1835. Though he was working on this invention he wasn't fully committed until 1837, up until then he was still teaching art and involved with it. He then became partners with a few people and continued to work on the Telegraph and then in 1838 he created Morse Code, a code of dots and dashes sent through the Telegraph. Morse had changed everything in the means of the society of communication.
(To learn more about the process of the Telegraph being invented and how it was invented, go to the Telegraph-1837 tab under Modes of Communication.)
GRANVILLE WOODS (1856-1910)
Important Inventions: The stem boiler furnace, Railroad Telegraph System, the third railroad rail, the automatic air brake, and the incubator
Background: Granville Woods was born in Columbus, Ohio, where he grew up and developed his interest in trains.. He was only able to go to school until he was ten. He than had to get a job and earn money for his family. Even though he had to work to earn money for his family, he was able to get a job at a machine shop where he learned about trains and electricity, and this was very interesting to him. He soon moved to Missouri to work with trains on the Mountain Railroad, at only sixteen years old. After his job in Missouri Granville got a job in Illinois, and than in New York. While he was in New York he decided to go to night school to have more of an educational background. After New York Woods moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and opened a machine shop in 1880. He then made his first invention at his shop in 1884. It was a steam boiler furnace, which improved steam engines. Woods kept his love for trains and continued to veer his inventions towards improving trains and making them safer. In 1887, Woods made his most influential invention yet, it was a Telegraph system across railroads that made traveling by train safer. The systems helped train stations to keep track of trains in the area. It also helped train crew to find out if there were trains far in front of them or far behind them. This system increased safety in all trains, it dramatically increased the amount of train crashes. Granville was not the only one working on a railroad Telegraph system, but he beat many inventors including Thomas Edison, who took Granville to court, but lost. Thomas Edison was jealous but impressed by Woods work, so he offered Woods a job. But Woods turned it down because he enjoyed working on his own. Woods continued to try and improve trains. He invented the Third Rail on railroads which increased the amount of electricity that the train received and was able to use. By 1902 Woods was on a role and he invented the automatic air brake which allowed trains to stop quicker, which was safer for the passengers. Woods was an incredible inventor who worked to increase train safety throughout the 19th century and early 20th century.
Important Inventions: The stem boiler furnace, Railroad Telegraph System, the third railroad rail, the automatic air brake, and the incubator
Background: Granville Woods was born in Columbus, Ohio, where he grew up and developed his interest in trains.. He was only able to go to school until he was ten. He than had to get a job and earn money for his family. Even though he had to work to earn money for his family, he was able to get a job at a machine shop where he learned about trains and electricity, and this was very interesting to him. He soon moved to Missouri to work with trains on the Mountain Railroad, at only sixteen years old. After his job in Missouri Granville got a job in Illinois, and than in New York. While he was in New York he decided to go to night school to have more of an educational background. After New York Woods moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and opened a machine shop in 1880. He then made his first invention at his shop in 1884. It was a steam boiler furnace, which improved steam engines. Woods kept his love for trains and continued to veer his inventions towards improving trains and making them safer. In 1887, Woods made his most influential invention yet, it was a Telegraph system across railroads that made traveling by train safer. The systems helped train stations to keep track of trains in the area. It also helped train crew to find out if there were trains far in front of them or far behind them. This system increased safety in all trains, it dramatically increased the amount of train crashes. Granville was not the only one working on a railroad Telegraph system, but he beat many inventors including Thomas Edison, who took Granville to court, but lost. Thomas Edison was jealous but impressed by Woods work, so he offered Woods a job. But Woods turned it down because he enjoyed working on his own. Woods continued to try and improve trains. He invented the Third Rail on railroads which increased the amount of electricity that the train received and was able to use. By 1902 Woods was on a role and he invented the automatic air brake which allowed trains to stop quicker, which was safer for the passengers. Woods was an incredible inventor who worked to increase train safety throughout the 19th century and early 20th century.
This was Granville's patent drawing for his railroad telegraph system.