Inventor of the telephone. Year of invention of the telephone. What was the first telephone? Telephone: principle of operation, development from invention to modern times

The history of the telephone for children is extremely interesting, since today for them these gadgets are an integral part of life. So, February 14, 1876 can be considered the day the telephone appeared. On this day, Scottish-born American scientist Alexander Graham Bell filed an application with the US Patent Office for his invention. Interestingly, on the same day, but two hours later, another inventor, Elisha Gray, submitted an application for a similar device. Subsequently, the latter tried to sue for the rights to this invention, but lost.

The phone history and photos will be presented to your attention further.

“Not Bell alone”...

Fifteen years before Bell, in 1860, the Italian Antonio Meucci demonstrated to the Americans a device he had designed for transmitting sound over a distance. However, for unknown reasons, he did not patent it. The documents he submitted in 1871 were mysteriously lost.

And in 1861, the German scientist Philipp Reis also invented a device for transmitting sounds. But the quality of its transmission was so low that the invention was not accepted by the public. But it was he who coined the term “telephone” from the Greek words “tele” - far and “phono” - sound.

History of telephone development

The device presented by Bell bore little resemblance to modern telephones. It transmitted only the sound of a voice and at a very short distance. Only after some time he managed to improve it by using a new membrane and a Yuza carbon microphone.

Alexander Bell first presented his invention to the public at a technical exhibition in Philadelphia. This is how the history of the development of the telephone began. Then the device did not have a bell; it was a single speaker tube designed for receiving and transmitting speech. The amazed audience heard from the tube a monologue of the Prince of Denmark from Shakespeare's play, which the inventor himself read from the next room. The phone was a great success, but the practical benefits were not immediately appreciated. The Bell Telephone Company was founded, which after a while turned into a huge successful concern.

Bell had to compete with the American inventor Thomas Edison, who in 1878 modified and improved the existing design, in particular installing an induction coil. This made it possible to increase the distance between subscribers. The American Speaker Telephone Company was created, which began producing telephones, ignoring Bell's rights.

Be that as it may, already in 1877 the first telephone exchange was created in New Hey-Vienna. And over the next 10 years, more than 100 thousand phones were installed. 25 years later there were more than a million. Over the years, phones have improved and the quality of communication has improved. In the 20s of the twentieth century, the first automatic telephone exchanges - automatic telephone exchanges - were installed. Before this, telephone operators connected subscribers. And in 1956, the first transatlantic cable was installed, connecting Scotland and Canada. Since then, more than 100 thousand kilometers of transatlantic cables have been laid connecting countries and continents.

The history of the emergence of automobile communications in America

Soon after the creation of the telephone, technical and scientific circles began to discuss the possibility of creating mobile communication devices. However, the experiments and studies carried out did not produce practical results and this topic was forgotten for some time. At the beginning of the 20th century, radio broadcasting began to develop rapidly, and scientists again returned to ideas about portable communications.

On June 17, 1946, AT&T launched the Mobile Telephone Service. The equipment for it weighed about 40 kg and was mounted in a car. It was a radio transmitter that could be used to make a call to a telephone exchange and contact any landline telephone subscriber. This communication line had limited capacity and was very expensive, so it was not a commercial success.

However, further research continued not only in America, but also in England, France and the USSR. This was the beginning of the history of the creation of the mobile phone.

In particular, in 1957, Soviet radio engineer Leonid Kupriyanovich registered an author's certificate for his own development, which he called the LK-1 radiophone. The device weighed about three kilograms, it contained: a dial dial, four switches and a microphone. The battery provided the radiophone with 20-30 hours of operation, and the range was 20-30 kilometers. Kupriyanovich's device communicated with city lines through an automatic telephone radio station. And already in 1958, the new radiophone model weighed, together with the battery, only 500 grams. Despite the obvious progress in development, radiophones did not become widespread and remained in the experimental stage.

The Altai mobile communication system created in the 60s with the Soviet Union is worth attention. Unlike Kupriyanovich’s amateur developments, the Altai system was ordered and financed by the state. It differed from its American counterpart in that it was fully automatic, and the weight of the equipment was only 13 kg. It was mounted first in the trunk, and later on the dashboard of the car. The Altai system was implemented in more than a hundred cities of the USSR. But mobile subscribers were not able to move more than 60 km from the central station, otherwise the connection would be interrupted.

Cellular connection

Mobile communications in their modern form appeared only with the advent of a fundamentally new communication technology - cellular communications. This idea was voiced back in 1947, but it was only possible to practically implement it in the 70s by Bell Labs research laboratory employees Richard Frenkel, Joel Engel and Amos Joel. The history of the creation of the telephone had a happy continuation, as they developed layouts for transmitting stations and technologies that made it possible to move between cells without interrupting communication.

At this time, two large companies were seriously engaged in research in the field of mobile communications. These are AT&T Corporation and Motorola. The first was more concerned with improving and promoting its own automotive communication systems, considering the topic of portable communication devices unpromising. Motorola, on the contrary, focused on developing compact communication devices with mobility. The company spent 10 years and more than $100 million on research.

And finally, on April 3, 1973, Martin Kupper, who led the development team, made a historic call from the street to a landline phone. He called Joel Engel of rival AT&T to brag about his success. This day is considered by many to be the beginning of the history of the mobile phone. And yet, cellular communication devices took 10 long years of improvements and bureaucratic red tape before the first of them hit store shelves. Despite their shortcomings and high cost, they have gained enormous popularity, especially in business circles. How did the history of the mobile phone develop? More on this later in our article.

The first Motorola mobile phones

In 1928, businessman Paul Galvin from Chicago registered the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, which began manufacturing network rectifiers. The company employed only five employees. A few years later, the product range expanded. The company began producing Motorola car radios. This is how the history of Motorola phones began. Things went well, the company constantly carried out research and introduced new developments into production. In 1947, the company changed its name to Motorola Inc. They are gradually becoming leading manufacturers of radio and television equipment. It is not surprising that it was Motorola Inc that developed and released the first operating mobile phone model.

This first model was called the DynaTAC 8000X, and it went on sale in 1984. The first mobile phone weighed 794 grams and functioned on a single charge for no more than an hour of talk time. Charging the battery took 10 hours. The new product was a stunning success. The registration for its purchase was several months in advance. Telephones improved quickly. Already in 1989, much lighter Motorola MicroTAC models went on sale. It was the first flip phone. And in 1996, Motorola StarTAC, the first flip phones, saw the light of day. Due to its tremendous commercial success, many modifications of this model were released over the next six years. Gradually, Motorola had more and more serious competitors nipping at its heels. The last truly successful model was the RAZR V3, which went on sale in 2004. Its success was ensured by its ultra-thin body. But it became increasingly difficult to compete in a growing market, and in 2011 the company split into Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility. The latter was immediately absorbed by Google, and in 2014 the company’s assets were bought by electronics manufacturer Lenovo.

Nokia's Finnish success story. Takeoff

How did the history of Nokia phones begin? The Finnish company Nokia was registered on May 12, 1865 and was a pulp factory. In 1922, a large manufacturer of rubber products, Finnish Rubber Works, bought a controlling stake in Nokia, which also bought another company that produced electrical cables. It was this acquisition that determined the telecommunications direction of the further functioning of the enterprises. For a long time, the three companies worked separately, producing products under the single Nokia brand. The final merger took place only in 1967. In the same year, the corporation created a division that specialized in industrial automation and communication systems. In collaboration with Salora, they are developing high-frequency radio technology and creating the ARP cellular communication standard.

The company released its first portable telephone, Mobira Talkman, in 1984. It didn't look much like a mobile phone. It weighed 4.7 kg and consisted of a transmitter with an antenna and battery, and a handset. But three years later, the next Nokia Cityman model turned out to be much lighter and fit comfortably in the hand. Gradually, the company switched from the ARP standard to the GSM standard, and in 1992 the first GSM phone, Nokia 1011, was produced. And two years later, a new product from the Finnish company was released - the Nokia 2100 phone with the proprietary Nokia Tune call. It is with this model that the company enters the Japanese market, where local manufacturers previously dominated. In total, more than 20 million Nokia 2100 were sold worldwide.

By the end of the 90s, thanks to the release of successful new products, Nokia became a leader in the mobile communications market. In 1996, the company released the world's first communicator, the Nokia 9000 Communicator. It has advanced features and a high resolution screen. In 1999, Nokia 7110 was released, which had access to the WAP mobile Internet.

Until this time, mobile phones were quite expensive and high-status, but by the beginning of the 2000s, the market began to need more budget and affordable models. Therefore, the Finnish company produces a number of inexpensive phones, such as the Nokia 3210 and 3310. These models have become the best-selling phones in the world. For example, Nokia 3310 sold more than 120 million copies. This phone had a limited number of functions, but it was reliable and convenient.

Fall of the Finnish Giant

Over the next few years, the company managed to release many more successful models, both budget and premium. But the emergence of other, more dynamically developing manufacturers gradually made Nokia products less competitive. In 2013, Nokia's mobile phone division was acquired by Microsoft. But already in 2016, the other two companies Foxconn and HMD Global, which bought the production facilities and the name "Nokia", announced the revival of the brand.

History of Samsung mobile phones

The South Korean company Samsung was founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul, who started by serving his own noodles. The company grew, expanded, and in 1960 began to conquer the electronics market. The company began producing consumer electronics: televisions, refrigerators, VCRs, etc. With the beginning of the era of mobile communications, a new division of the Samsung Telecommunications Corporation was opened, and 10 years later, in 1988, the first cell phone produced in South Korea, the SH-100, was released. It was then that the history of Samsung phones began.

In 1993, the ultra-light SH-700 for that time appeared on the market, weighing only 100 grams. In 1996, the company entered the American market, and a couple of years later it sold its phones in South America and Japan.

Samsung has always paid great attention to the design of its models. Therefore, their products are distinguished by their elegance and original appearance. Among the company's memorable products, one can recall the first all-women's flip phone, the A400. It was very light, beautiful and featured a set of ladies' functions, such as calculating calories burned or the biological cycle.

Samsung V200 was equipped with a camera with a rotating mechanism. A revolutionary decision at that time. The company used this mechanism for several of its next models. In 2009, one of the first phones on Android I7500 appeared. And in 2010, Samsung Galaxy S was released. Thus began the era of smartphones. Today the company is one of the leaders in sales of smartphones and other mobile communication devices in the world.

History of the iPhone. Beginning of an era

Everyone is probably interested in the history of the creation of the iPhone, as it is currently the “trend of the season.” Apple Inc, founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Stephen Wozniak and Ronald Wein, specialized in the production of computer equipment. Gradually, Apple grew into a huge corporation, a leader in the production of software, electronics and online services.

In 2002, Steve Jobs announced his intention to create a device that would combine the functions of a mini-computer, a communicator and a music player. And in 2007, he presented the first iPhone model. A distinctive feature of the new device was the complete absence of a keyboard and stylus. The phone could only be controlled using your fingers. But there were also disadvantages: lack of access to 3G, inability to record video, etc. But despite this, about 7 million copies were sold.

The developers took into account some of the shortcomings in the next model, released a year later, the IPhone 3G. The phone gained access to 3G, GPS and a new center for downloading App Store applications.

Every year Apple introduces a new, more advanced iPhone model, and each time it becomes a landmark and discussed event in the world of mobile technology. The company not only keeps up with the times, but is ahead of it. This is what allowed iPhones to become iconic and highly-selling devices.

We cannot imagine modern life without the use of a cell phone; it has become an integral part of it. But just ten years ago, not everyone could afford to buy a cell phone; it was mostly considered a luxury item.

Currently, the mobile technology industry is developing dynamically, with more and more new models being created every year. However, the real revolution in this was the one that gained wide popularity among users and practically replaced the usual “push-button” ones from sales.

Creator of the first touch phone

Few people know this, but in fact the first one was invented in 1993 by the IBM Corporation, which devoted most of its activities to the creation of computer equipment.

This company was created back in 1896 by engineer Herman Hollerith. Initially, it had the name Tabulating Machine Company and was engaged in the production of tabulating and analytical machines. In 1911, TMS merged with Charles Flint's companies - International Time Recording Company and Computing Scale Corporation. As a result of this process, the Computing Tabulating Recording (CTR) corporation was formed. In 1917, CTR entered the Canadian markets under the International Business Machines (IBM) brand, and in 1924 the American division changed its name.

It turned out that that same record began to play the role of a membrane that reacts to the sound of the voice. There was a magnet underneath, and the vibrations of the membrane affected the magnetic flux, causing the current in the line to change in rhythm with the vibrations. The other end of the line had the opposite effect, and Bell heard his assistant's voice.

For a year he worked on improving the device and in 1986 demonstrated it at an exhibition. Strictly speaking, the telephone has not changed since then: sensitive membranes still convert human speech into speech, which is transmitted through the wires, and at the other end turns them back into sounds.

Only in 2002 did the US Congress recognize that the real inventor of the telephone should be considered the Italian emigrant Antonio Meucci, who back in 1860 published a note in the press about the invention of a device capable of transmitting speech over wires. He filed an application for his patent in 1871, that is, 5 years earlier than Bell, but due to confusion with documents and a conflict with the Western Union company, he was able to defend his claim for the invention of the device only in 1887, when the patent had already expired.

Moreover, the United States admits that Bell also borrowed the main idea, since his work was carried out under the auspices of Western Union. However, in 1889, Meucci died, and in 1893, Alexander Bell’s patent expired, so further clarification was only of historical significance.

Video on the topic

Choosing a phone is a responsible process that requires a certain approach. You need to be very careful when choosing a phone, because it is unlikely that you can change it every week.

Phones

Today on the store counter you can see various phone models that differ from each other not only in color and functions, but also in the presence or absence of buttons. At the moment, the majority of phones on the market are touchscreen models, but push-button models are also quite sufficient. In this regard, you can often hear the dilemma - which phone to choose, touch or push-button?

Phone selection

The final choice must be made based on many different nuances. First of all, you need to understand whether you can live with the new screen and also work well with it. Of course, almost every person has a fear of the new and, first of all, this is due to natural instincts. For the older generation, it is better to choose push-button phones, since working with them is much easier (calls and SMS can be sent by simply pressing buttons), while a touchscreen phone still needs to be sorted out.

The second reason is directly related to the button itself, because it does not always work well, while the buttons always work as they should. Today there are two types of sensors: resistive and capacitive screens. Resistive sensors respond to any pressure. The first touchscreen phones had just such a screen. It is worth noting that such a screen had two films. When you clicked on the top one, a certain signal was sent, which was eventually read by the program. This kind of film was often scratched and dirty, because sometimes you had to press very hard on the screen. As a result, the phone lost its original appearance. The new generation of phones has a capacitive screen that reacts exclusively to current conductors (fingers, styluses, etc.). This type of touchscreen is fairly easy to use (you don't have to press hard with your fingers to get the phone to respond), but you need to be aware that these screens have thin glass that can break.

The following reason for choice follows from the latter. A person may drop a touchscreen phone. If its screen breaks, the phone will be impossible to use, which means that such phones need to be treated very carefully. Push-button phones, for the most part, retain their own functions when the screen breaks, and if you need to call such a phone with a broken screen, this can be done simply by pressing the buttons.

The last thing is the inconvenience of using touch phones for people with large fingers. Most often, the touch screen is pre-programmed for a certain size of icons that cannot be changed (unless you reflash or use other special software), and if these icons are small, you can press other icons at the same time, which causes additional inconvenience.

The history of the mobile phone

Back in the middle of the 20th century. the option of making calls using a portable communication device was proposed. In 1963, Soviet engineer L. Kupriyanovich developed the first experimental model of a cell phone. However, this model weighed about 3 kg and came with a special portable base. This option required major revision.

The idea of ​​using a communication device in a car came from Bell Laboratories. And at the same time, Motorola specialists were also considering the option of a compact portable communication device. At that time, this company was already successfully producing portable radio stations.

The man who created the first portable mobile phone

It is worth noting that the first inventor of the mobile phone was Martin Cooper, who was the head of the communications department at Motorola. At first, everyone around this talented inventor was skeptical about this option for a means of communication.

In April 1973, Martin Cooper used his invention to call the boss of Bell Laboratories from the streets of Manhattan. This was the first call in the history of a mobile phone. It should be noted that the choice of subscriber for Cooper was not accidental. At that time, both companies tried to be the first to create a communication device. Cooper and his team were first.

Only in 1983, after much development, was an approximate version of a modern telephone presented to the public. This model was called DynaTAC 8000X, its price was almost $4,000. Nevertheless, there was a huge number of people who wanted to buy a new device, they even signed up for the purchase of the device.

What did the very first mobile phone look like?

It is worth considering the appearance of the first portable communication device, which was significantly different from today's devices:

The length of the tube was about 10 cm, and a fairly long antenna protruded from it;
- instead of the now familiar display, the phone had large buttons for dialing the subscriber’s number;
- the weight of the first cell phone was approximately 1 kg, dimensions: 22.5x12.5x3.75 cm;
- the telephone was intended only for making calls;
- in talk mode the battery worked for 45 minutes - 1 hour, and in quiet mode - up to 4-6 hours;
- it took about 7-9 hours to charge the first mobile phone.

Almost no modern person can imagine his life and work without a telephone.

However, more recently, in historical terms, there were times when a telephone was considered a luxury. Who invented and introduced the telephone to the masses?

Landline communications

As everyone knows, the era of telephone communication began with wired telephones, which could transmit voice messages using technologies that were significantly different from modern ones.

Such a device became a major breakthrough and the first “bell” of an active scientific and technological revolution, which began almost immediately from the creation of such an innovative device.

Story

The first telephone was created in an era when the only way to more or less quickly transmit messages over long distances was the telegraph.

At that time, the telegraph was considered a perfect and fully functional means of communication with remote regions.

However, the invention of the telephone caused a revolution, and it quickly began to be put into use.

It is worth noting that the invention of the telephone could not have been thought of until electricity was discovered.

When electricity became more or less widely used, the telegraph appeared - Morse presented to the public in 1897 not only his alphabet, but also his broadcasting apparatus.

The appearance of the world's first device capable of quickly transmitting information without a physical carrier over a greater distance proved that such a transmission method was possible in principle, and gave scientists of that time the impetus to develop methods for its improvement.

First device

And at the end of the 19th century, scientists managed to significantly improve the transmission method and give it a new format. It is believed that Alexander Bell invented the telephone, but this is not entirely true.

The appearance of the device would be impossible without Philip Rice- German scientist.

It was Rice who created the very basis of the future telephone set- a device capable of transmitting a recording of a human voice over certain (quite large for that time) distances using galvanic current conductors. Rice's development was published in 1861, and during this period Bell took it as the basis for his future invention - the telephone, in the form in which we know it now.

So, after 15 years, namely in 1876, the first telephone based on galvanic current appeared, the inventor of which was considered Alexander Graham Bell.

At this year's World's Fair, a Scottish researcher presented his device that allows voice messages to be transmitted over a distance, and also applied for a patent.

Specifications

What technical characteristics did this first device have?

It was significantly inferior not only to the devices that became widespread in the 20th century, but also to subsequent models created by Bell a few years later.

However, at that time its characteristics were considered premium.

The distance over which the device could transmit sound was 200 m, which was a lot.

Initially, it had severe sound distortion, but with the next improvement, Alexander Bell eliminated this problem.

And in this form, the device, invented and improved by him, existed for almost another 100 years.

History of creation

Like many famous inventions that changed not only the course of scientific and technological progress, but also the course of history, it was created by accident.

Initially, Alexander Bell's goal was not to create a device that would transmit a voice message, but to create a telegraph apparatus capable of transmitting several telegrams simultaneously.

In the process of experiments on such improvement of the telegraph apparatus, the telephone was created.

The telegraph operated using pairs of records, and for their experiment Bell and his assistant prepared several pairs of such records, which were tuned to operate at different frequencies.

As a result of a slight violation of the experimental technology, one of the plates got stuck.

The inventor's assistant began to express his opinion on what had happened, while Bell himself at that moment carried out some manipulations with the receiving device of the telegraph apparatus.

A few seconds later, scientists heard sounds coming from the transmitter and resembling a voice recording, although with very strong distortion. From this moment the history of telephone communication began. After Alexander Bell presented his device to the public, many eminent scientists began work to improve the existing device.

The patent office issued hundreds of patents for devices that could modernize and improve the created phone. The most significant of them are:

1 T. Watson's call, replacing the whistle that was originally installed on the Bell apparatus, which appeared in 1878;

2 Carbon microphone M. Michalski, which improved the quality of transmission, and was created in 1878;

3 Automatic telephone exchange for 10,000 numbers S. Apostolov, which appeared in 1894.

The importance of Alexander Bell's invention can also be assessed by financial parameters.

This patent became one of the most profitable in the world, it was he who made Bell a world famous and very rich man. But was it deserved?

Meucci's contribution

In 2002, the US Congress recognized that this patent was issued undeservedly, and the true discoverer of telephone communication should be considered not the Scottish scientist Alexander Graham Bell, but the Italian inventor Antonio Meucci, who created his device after many years of the Bell telephone.

In 1860, he created the truly first apparatus capable of transmitting sound through wires. Meucci's device was called the telextrophone.

At the time of the creation and improvement of the invention, Meucci lived in the USA, was already almost an elderly man and was in a very poor financial situation.

At this stage, his invention and The large company Western Union became interested.

Its representatives offered the scientist to sell all his developments for a substantial sum, and also promised to assist in obtaining a patent.

The poor financial situation forced Meucci to give in to the company's demands. He received his money, but did not receive any help in obtaining a patent, so he applied for it himself, but was refused. And in 1876, Alexander Bell received a patent for an almost completely similar device.

This was a serious shock for Meucci, and he tried to challenge the decision to award the patent to Bell in court.

During the first stages of the proceedings, Meucci did not have enough finances to fight the huge corporation.

As a result, the right to the patent was nevertheless returned to him in court, but only when the validity period of this patent had already expired.

Important! Only in 2002 was a resolution passed by the Congress of the United States of America, according to which Meucci was officially recognized as the inventor of the telephone.

Twentieth century

Devices similar to Meucci's were used throughout much of the twentieth century.

They were constantly improved, and if the first models that became widespread could communicate with the called subscriber only through a telephone exchange, which required a manual connection, then later these stations became automatic, and subscribers were able to communicate almost directly.

The advent of such an automatic communication system was a big step towards the invention of the telephone as users know it today.

The first telephone that brought scientists closer to the invention of cellular communications was the radiotelephone.

After this, the first cell phone appeared, and relatively recently, satellite telephony.

The newest of the existing developments can be called, which has little in common directly with the phone, but performs the same functions.

Mobile communications

The history of cellular communications began with radiotelephones, the first tests of which were carried out in 1941 by G. Shapiro and I. Zakharchenko in the USSR, and by AT&T Bell Laboratories in the USA.

The system was based on radio communication and was intended to be used for communication between cars (in the modern sense, it was more like a walkie-talkie than a telephone).

In both superpowers, the tests were successful and the system fully met the expectations of the inventors.

And already in 1947, the concept of using hexagonal cells for communication was first proposed in the USA. It was proposed for use by Douglas Ring and Ray Young, inventors working on the Bell staff. The tests were also successful, and it was on the basis of this technology that mobile communications subsequently developed (and it was on the basis of this technology that it got its name).

But the real birthplace of mobile communications is still considered not to be the USA or the USSR, but Sweden.

Here, in 1956, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system was launched and successfully operated, which became the first such system in the world.

Initially, the project was implemented in the three largest cities of the state - Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo.

Telephone sets of Kupriyanovich

The first telephone that could be truly mobile and used in field devices was invented in the USSR.

The subscriber could carry it with him; it did not need to be built into cars and transported, like earlier models.

The device was presented to the public by L. I. Kupriyanovich, a Soviet engineer, in 1957.

The weight of the device was 3 kg, which was very light by the standards of that time, but it operated over fairly long distances - up to 30 km, depending on the terrain.

The operating time of this device without replacing batteries was 20-30 hours, depending on operating conditions. The inventor received a patent for the engineering solutions of the device in 1957.

This engineer continued to work in this direction until 1958.

This year he created a more compact mobile phone that works on the same principles as the previous device.

The new device weighed only half a kilogram and was no larger than a cigarette box.

Kupriyanovich did not stop his work in 1961.

This year he is creating a device that works on the same principles as the previous two, but weighs only 70 grams and fits in your pocket. It is capable of communicating over a distance of up to 80 km.

According to the inventor, this device could well be adapted for mass production with the aim of mass equipping heads of departments and enterprises with it. Some time later, in one of his interviews with periodicals, he announced his readiness to design 10 automatic television stations for portable telephones throughout the country. But this project was never implemented in reality.

Bulgarian developments

Although Kupriyanovich himself will soon cease his work, his system, in one variation or another, continues to be improved by other companies.

Thus, in 1965, the Radioelectronics company from Bulgaria presented at the Inforga-65 technology festival a system consisting of a main telephone exchange for 15 subscribers, and 15 telephones themselves.

At the same time, they mention that the project was developed precisely on the principle of Kupriyanovich’s equipment.

Work on such technology in this organization continues in 1966. At the Interorgtekhnika-66 scientific exhibition, they presented a set of mobile phones and a station designed to work with six devices. An industrial model is presented, ready, to a greater or lesser extent, for mass production.

In the future, the company works with this particular model, which is already significantly different from Kupriyanovich’s devices.

They first create a station with 69 numbers, and then with 699.

The system became widespread, became a substitute for intercom and was widely produced by industrial enterprises to equip departmental institutions with communications, and was actively used in the country until the early 90s.

<Рис. 9 Христо Бачваров – главный инженер «Радиоэлектроники»>

Nowadays, people cannot imagine their life without smartphones, but modern users have no idea who invented the telephone. And although this information is unlikely to bring material benefit to anyone, it will be useful for general development.

Creators of the technology

The idea to implement this device belongs to two people at once: Alexander Graham Bell and Antonio Meucci. These people applied for a patent 5 years apart, but officially the first of them is considered the “father” of the invention, despite the fact that it was he who applied to the bureau later. During their research, scientists started from the development of Pavel Schilling in 1832 - an electromagnetic telegraph. Later, other scientists supported this idea.

The first telephone called “telephone” was invented by Meucci, an Italian who lived in England in 1871. The invention was capable of transmitting sound through wires over long distances. However, Antonio was out of luck as his patent application was pending for 5 years until Alexander Bell created the “talking telegraph” in 1876. After lengthy litigation, Meucci's authorship was recognized, but by that time his certificate had already expired. The Italian was left with nothing.

Thus, now when asked who invented the first telephone, many answer that it was Alexander Bell. He also managed to transmit human speech in space using electricity. This device was presented to the general public at the 1876 exhibition in England and was remembered for its minimal sound delay.

There is also another opinion that it was this person who came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a telephone. He developed a similar device back in 1861, however, documentary evidence of this fact was “lost” on the initiative of F. Gill.

According to papers released in London, this British businessman actually deliberately hid Rice's invention. This step was intended to conceal the betrayal of Gill, the head of the organization testing Philip’s device. His company tried with all its might to conclude a contract with American Telephone and Telegraph (a subsidiary of A. Bell), and quite successfully.

Thus, Gill believed that American Telephone and Telegraph would terminate the contract if information about its interaction with Rice's invention surfaced. Since then, various documents have periodically surfaced in the public domain confirming and refuting the authorship of Philip Rice.

However, as it became known later, Rice’s device transmitted sound only over very short distances, so his development was much inferior to the options of Meucci and Bell. Moreover, some historians even believe that his device cannot be called a telephone due to this shortcoming.

The cellular phone was invented in 1983. Its creator was Motorola, which released the DynaTAC 8000X model. Despite the huge price of 4 thousand dollars, the device was wildly popular and sold out at incredible speed.

The phone could remain in standby mode for quite a short time, as it retained a full charge for an hour. At the same time, it could withstand only 30 minutes of conversation, after which it was necessary to connect the battery to the network. Charging it took as long as 10 hours.

The device also had a very inconspicuous design and weighed 1 kg, but at that time, owning such a device was considered a sign of luxury. Of course, a modern user would hardly pay attention to such a bulky unit without a display, which has only 12 keys.

Just 4 years later, Nokia released Mobira Cityman 900 - the first satellite phone. It could transmit a signal over considerable distances; for example, Mikhail Gorbachev used it to communicate with Moscow from Finland. At the same time, the cost of the device, converted to the current exchange rate, was about 200 thousand rubles, but even this did not stop future buyers.

The developments did not stop there. More compact mobile phones appeared, the functionality of which increased with each subsequent model. For example, already in 1996, Nokia distinguished itself again by offering the Nokia 9000 Communicator to the market - the first smartphone with a monochrome display and keyboard and weighing only 400 g. Other new products were not long in coming:

1. Mobile gadget with touch screen. The creator of the technology is considered to be the IBM brand, which previously dealt only with computer development. Its invention took 5 years, so the device was presented to the general public only in 1998. Later, the idea was picked up and improved by LG, which released the KE850 Prada in 2007, a model with a capacitive display that responds to finger touch.
2. A telephone equipped with a video camera. The Japanese Sharp J-SH04, released in 2000, had a very low resolution (only 0.1 megapixels), but even this seemed like a miracle to users, so it became a huge breakthrough in the field of technology.
3. New from Ericsson. The smartphone, presented by her in the same 2000, had many functions, while having very compact dimensions and light weight - only 160 g. This device had a built-in resistive touchscreen and a hinged cover that protected it from mechanical damage.

Then in 2008, a smartphone based on the Android OS, developed by Android Inc., appeared. (now bought by Google). In Russia, the first model working on this “axis” was Highscreen PP5420. A year earlier, Steve Jobs announced the now popular iPhone series, the production of which continued even after the death of the founder of the Apple company.

All these people made enormous contributions to the world of science and technology. The phone has come a long way from the developments of Meucci and the Bell apparatus to modern smartphones, thanks to which users can connect to the Internet, shoot video, take photographs and perform a lot of other operations. But development continues and, perhaps, soon smartphones will become even more powerful and functional.

Video review: the invention of the telephone

A person constantly needs communication. For information exchange and just for fun. And it’s not enough for him to communicate with the people who are nearby. There will always be something to say even to those who are on the next street, in another city or overseas. It has always been this way. But it was only at the end of the nineteenth century that we had such an opportunity. In this article we will trace the history of the appearance of the telephone, find out who invented the telephone and what difficulties scientists faced.

Over the years, there have been a variety of ways to transmit information. Our ancestors sent letters with messengers and carrier pigeons, burned bonfires, and used the services of heralds.

In the 16th century, the Italian Giovanni della Porta invented a system of speaking pipes, which were supposed to “permeate” the whole of Italy. This fantastic idea was not brought to life.

In 1837, American inventor Samuel Morse created the electric telegraph and developed the telegraph alphabet, which was called " Morse code».

In the 1850s, an unexpected discovery was made by Italian Antonio Meucci, living in New York. Convinced of the positive effects of electricity on human health, he assembled a generator and opened a private medical practice. One day, after connecting the wires to the patient’s lips, Meucci went into the back room to turn on the generator. Once the device is working, the doctor heard the patient scream. It was so loud and clear, as if the poor fellow was nearby.

Meucci began experimenting with the generator, and by the beginning of the 70s, the drawings of the device were already ready. telephony" In 1871, the inventor tried to register his brainchild, but something prevented him. Either the Italian did not have enough money for the registration procedure at the patent office, or the papers were lost during shipment, or perhaps they were stolen.

Who first invented the telephone and in what year

In 1861, German scientist Philip Rice came up with a device that could transmit all kinds of sounds via cable. This was the first telephone. (It’s worth familiarizing yourself with that and its history of creation) Rice failed to register a patent for his invention, so he did not become as widely known as the American Alexander Bell.

On 02/14/1876 Bell took the application to the Patent Office in Washington to patent " A telegraph device that can transmit human speech" Two hours later, Elisha Gray, an electrical engineering major, showed up. Gray's invention was called "A Device for Transmitting and Receiving Vocal Sounds by Telegraph." He was denied a patent.

This device consisted of a wooden stand, an ear tube, a battery (a vessel with acid) and wires. The inventor himself called it a gallows.

The first words spoken on the phone were: “Watson, this is Bell speaking!” If you can hear me, go to the window and wave your hat.”

In 1878, a series of trials against Alexander Bell began in America. About thirty people tried to take away his inventor's laurels. Six claims were dismissed outright. The claims of the remaining inventors were divided into 11 points and considered separately. On eight of these points, Bell's superiority was recognized; on the other three, the court was won by the inventors Edison and McDonough. Gray did not win a single case. Although a study of Bell's diaries and documents filed by Gray with the Patent Office many years later showed that the author of the invention is Gray.

Development and improvement of the phone

Thomas Edison took charge of the further fate of Bell's invention. In 1878, he made some changes to the structure of the telephone: he introduced a carbon microphone and an induction coil into the circuit. Thanks to this modernization, the distance between interlocutors could be significantly increased.

That same year, the first telephone exchange in history began operating in the small American town of New Chaven.

And in 1887 in Russia, the inventor K. A. Mossitsky created a self-acting switch - the prototype of automatic telephone exchanges.

Who invented the mobile (cellular) telephone

It is generally accepted that the birthplace of the mobile phone is the USA. But first mobile phone The device appeared in the Soviet Union. On November 4, 1957, radio engineer Leonid Kupriyanovich received a patent for “ Device for calling and switching radiotelephone communication channels" His radiotelephone could transmit audio signals to the base station at a distance of up to 25 kilometers. The device was a box with a dial dial, two toggle switches and a handset. It weighed half a kilo and worked for up to 30 hours in standby mode.

The idea of ​​​​creating cellular telephone communications appeared back in 1946 at the American company AT&T Bell Labs. The company was engaged in the rental of car radios.

In parallel with AT&T Bell Labs, Motorola also conducted research. For about ten years, each of these companies sought to get ahead of the competition. Motorola won.

In April 1973, one of the employees of this company, engineer Martin Cooper, “shared his joy” with colleagues from a competing company. He called the AT&T Bell Labs office, invited the head of the research department, Joel Engel, to the phone and said that he was currently on one of the streets of New York and talking on the world's first mobile phone. Cooper then went to a press conference dedicated to the miracle of technology that he held in his hands.

Motorola's "firstborn" was named Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. It weighed about a kilogram and reached 25 cm in height.. The phone could work in talk mode for about 30 minutes, and was charged for about 10 hours. And ten years later, in 1983, it finally went on sale. The new car cost a lot of money - $3500 - a little cheaper than a brand new car. But even despite this, there were plenty of potential buyers.

In 1992, Motorola released a mobile phone that could fit in the palm of your hand.

At the same time, the Finnish company Nokia introduced the first mass-produced GSM phone, Nokia 1011.

In 1993, thanks to BellSouth / IBM, the first communicator appeared - a telephone connected to a PDA.

And 1996 is the year the first flip phone was created. This is the merit of the same Motorola.

At this time, Nokia pleased the world with the first smartphone with an Intel 386 processor and a full QWERTY keyboard - Nokia 9000.

The average person makes almost one and a half thousand phone calls a year.

Who invented the touch phone

The great-grandfather of the famous iPhone is considered to be IBM Simon, released in 1994. It was the world's first touchphone. “Simon” cost a lot - $1090. But it was no longer just a phone. It combined the qualities of a telephone and a computer, and it could also be used as a pager or fax. It was equipped with a calculator, calendar, notepad, task list, a couple of games and even an email agent.

The device had a monochrome display with a resolution of 160×293 pixels and a diagonal of 4.7 inches. Instead of the usual keys, a virtual keyboard has appeared. The battery lasted for an hour of talk time or 12 hours of standby time.

The too high price did not allow the model to become popular among users, but it was “Simon” went down in history as the first touchphone.

In 2000, the world saw the first telephone, officially called a smartphone— Ericsson R380. The R380's touchscreen was hidden under a hinged cover with regular buttons. The screen was monochrome, with a diagonal of 3.5 inches and a resolution of 120x360.

The smartphone was based on the new Symbian OS for mobile devices. The R380 supported WAP, a browser, notepad, email client, and games were installed.

In 2007, IBM released the first phone whose sensor responded to the touch of a finger rather than a stylus. It was LG KE850 Prada. This model is also remembered for its unusual design and wide functionality.

In the same year, Apple introduced its famous iPhone to the general public.