Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Technology of the 1800s
[Free Registration/Login Required] Article considers the inventions and innovations in communication, transportation, and manufacturing that drove America forward in the nineteenth century. Includes a link to an interactive history of...
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.
Alberta Online Encyclopedia
Alberta Online Encyclopedia: Alberta Inventors and Inventions: Alex Taylor
Learn about Alex Taylor--Edmonton's first telegrapher, meteorologist, lightning manipulator and timekeeper--who is most widely know as being the father of Edmonton's telephone system.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Alexander Graham Bell: Telephone
Biographical information and a photograph of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.
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...
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.
Library of Congress
Loc: What in the World Is That?
Can you match the picture to the correct invention? Read about these inventions and the importance of them. Also included are related sites to find further information about each invention.
Other
Lemelson Center's Invention at Play: Sketch From Bell's Notebook
View a sketch from Bell's notebook from 1876. From a collection Bell's papers at the Library of Congress.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Catherine Schmidt Jones: Message Drums
How did various cultures communicate before the invention of the telephone, email or telegraph? Discover the use of message drums in this lesson plan.
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: 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...
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.
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...
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Magnet Academy: Timeline of Electricity and Magnetism: 1870 1879
The telephone and first practical incandescent light bulb are invented while the word "electron" enters the scientific lexicon.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Forgotten Inventors
This illustrated feature from the American Experience Web site highlights the frequently forgotten inventors of several useful, innovative technologies.
Science4Fun
Science4 Fun: Alexander Graham Bell
Brief biographical sketch of Alexander Graham Bell who was most famous for his invention of the telephone.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Harold Stephen Black
This site honors Harold Stephen Black for his inventions of the wave translation system and the negative feedback amplifier. Content includes a brief biography of the inventor as well as a look at how his inventions have impacted society.
Other
Edison: His Life and Inventions: The Telephone, Motograph, and Microphone
This site offers the text of a book by Frank Dyer and Thomas Martin published in 1929 on the inventions of Thomas Edison. This particular page discusses Alexander Graham Bell's development of the telephone and the controversy over Thomas...
University of Houston
University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: No. 587: Alexander Graham Bell
A discussion of the life and achievements of Canadian inventor, Alexander Graham Bell. Focuses on the two fascinations that marked Bell's whole life: his concern for the deaf and for flight, and the inventions that resulted. This is a...
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...
Great Idea Finder
Fascinating Facts About Alexander Graham Bell
Fascinating facts about Alexander Graham Bell, the Canadian inventor of the telephone. Incorporated into the site include and 'at a glance' summary of his life, a 'milestones' timeline and a brief summary of his life story. In addition,...
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Forgotten Inventors
Here is an accounting of a few inventions, most of which were invented in the 1800s, that often are overlooked. Find out about how the can opener was invented as well as that clothing staple, the denim jeans.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Special Feature: Forgotten Inventors
This fascinating site from PBS features seven inventions from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with information about the men and women who created them. Click on one of the small photos to learn more, or scroll down through the...