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The First Phone Call Was 133 Years Ago

magacious writes "March 10 is the 133rd anniversary of the first telephone call. It occurred between Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant Thomas Watson back on this day in 1876. But there is some debate about whether Bell is actually the rightful owner of the crown for such invention. Having worked on the idea of transmitting speech using electricity for some time, Bell filed his patent on 14 February 1876, either just before or just after his main rival for the title of inventor of the telephone, Elisha Gray, filed his own. Bell won the patent and Gray died in obscurity."

16 of 196 comments (clear)

  1. Gray died in obscurity by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

    Of course, the light bulb was only invented in 1879.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  2. Re:the message: by Goffee71 · · Score: 2, Funny

    The reply: I, for one, welcome my now slightly distant overlord

    --
    If he's the Walrus then can I be a penguin please?
  3. Re:Such advances! by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Funny

    More like "can you hear me? CAN YOU HEAR ME? HELLO?? *beep*beep*beep* Ah f**ing Verizon!"

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    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  4. and the second call by petes_PoV · · Score: 5, Funny

    started "can I speak to Mr Alexander Bell" .... Hello Mr. Bell, how are you today. I wonder if you would take a few minutes to answer some questions ... hangs up in disgust

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
  5. Bell! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Bell was a fucking faggot for not making encryption part of his specification.

  6. Re:133 by lilo_booter · · Score: 4, Funny

    Indeed - apparently no one died that year - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/133

  7. The real reason Bell got the patent by rollingcalf · · Score: 3, Funny

    They gave it to him instead of others who developed a phone, because they thought history would prefer that somebody named "Bell" invented the telephone, like how Sir Thomas Crapper is credited with inventing the flush toilet even though he really didn't invent it.

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    ---------
    There is inferior bacteria on the interior of your posterior.
  8. And Tomorrow.... by DavidD_CA · · Score: 3, Funny

    And tomorrow marks the 133rd anniversary of the first telemarker.

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    -David
  9. Re:the message: by JustOK · · Score: 4, Funny

    But I WAS FIRST POST!

    Sincerely,

    Elisha Gray

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    rewriting history since 2109
  10. Re:133 by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 5, Funny

    is such an important number that it's worth a news story by its own

    But of course! It's a happy octagonal Harshad integer, and a Blum semiprime. We should read news stories about it every day!
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/133_(number)

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  11. Re:the message: by FatLittleMonkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    Watson, come here. I need you.

    "Oh Mr. Bell, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that!"

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    Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
  12. Re:Antonio Meucci by ubrgeek · · Score: 4, Funny

    Meucci should have called ahead to let them know he was on his way. ;)

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    Bark less. Wag more.
  13. Anybody Here Remember Rotary Dials? by aquatone282 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah? Well the rest of you can GET OFF MY LAWN!

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    What?
  14. Re:the message: by cbiltcliffe · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, I'm sure it was:

    "This is the second notice that the factory warranty may be expiring on your car!....."

    --
    "City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
  15. Antonio Meucci here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I sumbmitted the story four times but it was rejected.

  16. Re:the message: by negRo_slim · · Score: 2, Funny

    Alexander Graham Bell:
    Well, we did it Watson. What an afternoon. We finally perfected the first telephone.

    Thomas Watson:
    Yeah, uh, hey listen, somebody called me today. Uh, whoever it was, said some very sexual things, very angry, sexual things.

    Alexander Graham Bell:
    Oh, really? Probably just some teenagers somewhere... damn them.

    Thomas Watson:
    Well, well that's, that's the thing. I mean, there's, there's only two phones, in the, well, in the world and one of them is in my office and the other one is in your office and those two didn't even exist until a few hours ago.

    Alexander Graham Bell:
    Yikes, I could use a distraction right now.

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    On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days