Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: The Invention of the Telephone
This primary source set uses physical objects, documents, photographs, and drawings to tell the story of the invention of the telephone and its transformative impact on modern-day communication. Includes a teaching guide.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Primary Source Set: Telephone Invention
This collection uses primary sources to explore the invention of the telephone.
Science Struck
Science Struck: Invention of the Telephone: History and Timeline
While the invention of the telephone is usually attributed to Alexander Graham Bell, credit must also be given to others who were working on the concept around the same time. Read about the history of the telephone here. Includes a...
A&E Television
History.com: Inventions & Science
Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The Telephone
The home page to the PBS feature film on the invention of the telephone. The People and Events section has biographies and commentary on the invention of the telephone and its subsequent success. Be sure to click on Gallery for pictures...
Library of Congress
Loc: Everyday Mysteries: Who Is Credited as Inventing the Telephone?
Find out who is credited for the invention of the telephone in this brief history.
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Thomas Edison's Inventive Life
This site is a complete resource for learning about Edison's life, his inventions, and electricity. If you like experimenting, there are instructions included for how to make your own light bulb. Good photos.
Other
Lemelson Center's Invention at Play: Alexander Graham Bell
A summary of Alexander Graham Bell's telephone invention.
Great Idea Finder
The Great Idea Finder: Invention of the Telephone
The Great Idea Finder provides information on the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell and its history throughout the years. Links to other sites with information are provided.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Joseph Henry Lays Groundwork for the Telephone
This is the man who most encouraged Bell to invent the telephone. Bell said, "But for Henry, I never would have gone ahead with the telephone." This is a fascinating account both of Bell's invention and of Henry's life. Half a biography,...
US National Archives
Nara: Teaching With Documents: Telephone and Light Patent Drawings
A lesson plan about Alexander Graham Bell's patent for the telephone and Thomas Edison's patent for the electric lamp. Contains good background information and historically pertinent documents. It also discusses the role corporations...
Read Works
Read Works: Inventions: Then and Now
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about how the telephone, calculator, television, and clock have changed since they were invented. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in comparing and contrasting.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: Alexander Graham Bell
This site provides a biographical sketch of Alexander Graham Bell and his inventions. Find out about Bell's patents in addition to the telephone.
Other
History of Telephone Sets: Graham Bell Invents the Telephone
A short summary of how Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) came to invent the telephone.
Then Again
Then Again: Web Chron: Alexander Graham Bell Invents the Telephone
This site describes how Bell started out by seeking to help the deaf and ended up with a telephone. It gives brief information about his family and how he came to invent the telephone.
University of Virginia
University of Virginia: Alexander Graham Bell's Path to the Telephone
A detailed survey of the invention and evolution of the telephone. This scholarly article includes a Master Map that shows Bell's thought processes as he developed the telephone, with each step linked to more in-depth information. The...
National Museum of Science and Industry (UK)
Ingenious: Do We Need the Telephone?
The telephone has been a marvelous technological invention. Its successes, failures, and consequences are looked at in this website.
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Magnet Academy: Bell Telephone 1876
Acoustics, variable resistance and allegations of foul play contribute to the exciting story of the invention of the telephone.
PBS
Who Made America? Alexander Graham Bell
From a PBS series, They Made America, comes this biography of Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone. Read about his development of the telephone and research into the sound.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The Telephone Goes National
This site provides information about the birth of the telephone. The site also discusses AT&T, the first long distance phone call, and the people involved.
Read Works
Read Works: Inventions: Then and Now
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about popular inventions and how they have changed throughout the year, including: the telephone, the calculator, the television, and the clock. A question sheet is available to...
A&E Television
History.com: 6 Key Inventions by Thomas Edison
Edison's genius was improving on others' technologies and making them more practical for the general public. Thomas Edison applied for his first patent in 1868, when he was just 21 years old. The famous inventor's first brainchild was...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: Lee De Forest
This website provides information on the life and inventions of Lee DeForest, the man who invented the audion tube, which made commercial radio broadcasting practical.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: More About Bell
Part of the larger site about Alexander Graham Bell from the series, American Experience, this biography focuses mainly on his education and experimentation which resulted in his development of the telephone. Included is information...