Invention of the Telephone
Evolution of Telephone Technology
Expansion of Telephone Networks
Impact of the Telephone
Milestones in Telephone Design
100

He is credited with inventing the first practical telephone in 1876.

Alexander Graham Bell

100

This technology replaced rotary dials in phones during the 1960s.

Touch Tone Pad Phone

100

This type of network was developed to link cities and enable long-distance calls.

Cable Networks

100

This form of communication was replaced by the telephone.

Telegrams and letters

100

This type of phone required a user to manually generate electricity with a crank in the 1880s.

Hand Crank Wall Phone

200

Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call to his partner Thomas Watson in this year.

1876

200

This made cordless phones different from their predecessors, freeing users from the limitations of a phone cord.

The use of radio frequencies to communicate

200

The first coaxial cable to carry multiple calls simultaneously was laid in this year.

1937

200

The 911 emergency service was introduced in the United States in this year.

1968

200

This design feature of the 1920s rotary dial phone allowed direct dialing.

Circular Dial

300

The first telephones require operator assistance for calls because of this.

Lack of direct dialing

300

The IBM smartphone was the first smartphone to have these features.

A touchscreen, could send emails, make calls, and run apps

300

This telephone system allowed shared lines between neighbors for calls.

Party Lines

300

The telephone revolutionized international business operations through this.

Globalization or expansion of operations internationally with ease of communication

300

This decade introduced touch-tone dialing with a numeric keypad.

1960s

400

The primary purpose of Alexander Graham Bell's telephone invention.

To transmit voice via electrical signals through wires

400

The primary improvement of digital mobile phones introduced in the late 1990s.

The use of digital signals for better call quality and security

400

Telephone systems became widespread in households in this decade.

1950s

400

The telephone provided this key benefit to emergency services.

Quick communication for emergency services 

400

This innovation of the 1980s allowed landline phones to communicate without a cord.

Cordless technology using radio frequencies or Cordless Phone

500

This material was used for the hand crank wall phone in the 1880s.

Wood

500

The introduction of this dialing method allowed users to input phone numbers directly.

Rotary Dialing

500

This technological advancement in telephone networks enables the transmission of multiple calls at once.

Coaxial Cable

500

This benefit of telephones allowed people to connect instantly, replacing telegrams and letters.

Communication Efficiency

500

This phone was the first to have features such as a touchscreen, and the ability send emails, make calls, and to run applications

IBM’s First Smartphone