#agbell

[whitechnoleg]

Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent drawing, March 7, 1876 #agbell #telephone #inventions

[aslfan]

My Letter to Parents of Deaf Children

There was a huge uproar on Social Media over the weekend among the Deaf Community. You might be familiar with Nyle DiMarco, the Deaf winner of "America'...

[lookingglassfactory]

March 10, 1876: A.G. Bell Makes First Ever Phone Call!

A.G. Bell demonstrates speaking into the telephone using a model prototype in 1876.

Today in history, A.G. Bell makes the very first telephone call in his Boston laboratory, summoning his assistant - Thomas Watson - from the next room.

Born into a family of speech instructors, Bell had a lifelong interest in the nature of sounds; both his mother and wife had hearing impairments. While working in 1875 on a device to send multiple telegraph signals over the same wire by using harmonics, he heard a *twang* 

This led his to investigation of whether his electrical apparatus could be used to transmit the sound of human voice. Bell’s journal contains the following entry on March 10, 1876: 

I then shouted into M [the mouthpiece] the following sentence: "Mr. Watson, come here — I want to see you." To my delight he came and declared that he had heard and understood what I said.

I asked him to repeat the words. He answered, "You said 'Mr. Watson — come here — I want to see you.'" We then changed places and I listened at S [the speaker] while Mr. Watson read a few passages from a book into the mouthpiece M. It was certainly the case that articulate sounds proceeded from S. The effect was loud but indistinct and muffled. 

Subsequently, to promote his new invention, Bell showed it that June at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Upon hearing Bell recite Hamlet’s “To Be or Not To Be” soliloquy over the phone, Emperor Dom Pedro of Brazil cried, “My God, it talks!" 

Why yes it does!

(Update: We were reminded to also note the slight controversy surrounding this particular invention; specifically with the patent-filing procedure. Elisha Gray, a professor at Oberlin College, applied for a caveat of the telephone on the same day Bell applied for his patent of the telephone- these gentlemen didn’t actually visit the Patent Office, their lawyers did on their behalf. Of course, Alexander Graham Bell is the father of the telephone. After all it was his design that was first patented, however, there is still contention as to who is to be credited for the talking telegraph.)

[imllhumanity]

[theresoluti0n-blog]

Dearest Followers, I just landed in Arizona! I'm here for the Alexander Graham Bell Convention where my sister is speaking. I'm selling her books all weekend at a booth! If you know anyone going tell them to stop by the Sophie's Tales booth!:)

[maybeifismilee-blog-blog]

Would Americans allow a non-citizen to lead the United States of America? Would the LGTB community allow a straight homophobic to lead a Gay Alliance? Would women allow a man to lead the National Organization for Women? Would Blacks allow a white person lead the NAACP? Would the Jewish community allow a Christian to lead their synagogue, or vice versa leading a church? The answer, respectfully, to all of these inquiries is no. People have worked too hard and given too much faith to give up their leadership positions to someone who does not recognize their ability and does not adhere to the group in homogeneity. So why is AGBell, "an organization for the deaf and hard of hearing" led mostly by hearing people? Why should we not have the same rights as all other minorities to have a say in what happens to us in our own communities? We, the deaf community, cannot allow a hearing person to lead AG Bell.