Early Phones

Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 was the first person to patent a new invention known as the telephone. For many years the Bell telephone company would bear his name. Today in some areas the Bell telephone service is still in existence. Telephones have certainly become quite different from the original first telephones. We have moved from phones that were hard to hear on to smart phones that can function as a small computer that we can carry in our pocket or our purse.

Some Photos of the Earliest Phones

Old Antique Crank Telephone

An antique crank phone that can be seen at Buffalo Gap Historic Village, Taylor County, Texas.
Photographer: Carol M. Highsmith

Rotary Desktop Phones

Telephones became more modern and rotary desktop phones became popular. The rotary phone was a phone that had the numbers 1-9 and was designed by Almon Brown Stowger in 1891. One of the popular models in the 1940s was the candlestick phone.

Moving Forward to Smart Phones

Today almost everyone including children carry what is called a smart phone with them at all times. These phones are very convenient to stay in constant touch with family and friends. I was extremely glad to have my phone with me when I hit a pothole in the pouring rain one night. It allowed me to call for help while remaining inside my car. These portable phones are a great help in times of emergencies.

Smart cells phones are an essential part of our society. Parents can stay in contact with their children easily and know where their children are. Of course, there are also safety issues with teenagers going online with strangers who may cause them great harm. There are also many questionable sites that are not suitable for children of any age to be using. But smart phones are here to stay. They have good and bad uses depending on the way they are used. In the picture below we see students with their phones in school. It makes you wonder what will be coming next.