The telephone has revolutionized human communication. Additionally, its advent has opened doors for new businesses, fostered innovation and significantly impacted our world today.
Although its history has been extensively written about and revised numerous times over, the telephone remains an indispensable part of daily life today and must be evaluated according to its role in contemporary societies.
The Invention of the Telephone
The telephone revolutionized communication; you can call any location in the world to get instantaneous responses to any inquiry you might have.
Alexander Graham Bell was an extraordinary engineer who realized telegraphy could be used to transmit speech long distance. He devoted every penny of his salary and labored hard to develop an efficient method for transmitting the sounds of speech over wires.
After months of research, he devised a telephone using both a transmitter and receiver to transmit sound waves produced by human voice over wire. For the transmitter device, an ordinary drum-like device with needle attached was coupled with paper for use as the transmitting medium.
Bell would speak into the open end of his drum, making the paper and needle vibrate and send out current that could travel along its wire to its receiver at the other end. There, sound waves were converted back into sound using diaphragm connected to a receiver for listening purposes.
The Telephone in Business
Telephones may seem outdated technology, but they still play a vital role in business. You can use it to share information across departments, manage customer and client inquiries, book appointments for essential services and host conference calls through it.
Emergency response apps are also an invaluable resource when responding to emergencies or contacting emergency services quickly and effectively, such as police and fire department services, so as to minimize disruption in your business operations.
As a business, you probably use landline, mobile and digital phones to communicate with staff and customers. They allow you to schedule appointments, provide customer service, share updates about forthcoming projects or hold sales meetings over the phone.
The History of the Telephone in Edmonton
Visits to Edmonton’s Telephone Historical Centre provide visitors with an opportunity to learn about telecommunications technology from its early beginnings to today, through interactive exhibits that engage visitors hands-on and immersive multi-media presentations such as Historical Telecommunications Theatre Show.
The Telephone Historical Centre opened its doors to visitors in 1987, making it the largest facility of its kind in Canada. Entry is by donation with group discounts available.
One of the most fascinating aspects of telephones is their capacity to transmit and encrypt messages directly between locations. This is achieved using a diaphragm located on its mouthpiece that vibrates when certain electrical currents vary, thus making communication seamless between locations.
Although the telephone was invented in 1876, its true breakthrough came in 1885 after Government of Canada declared all Bell patents invalid, opening up competition from independent telephone companies against Bell and leading to an apparent decrease in subscribers to Bell Canada.
The Telephone Historical Centre
The Telephone Historical Centre was an Edmonton museum established to preserve the history of telephones. First opening its doors to visitors on December 3, 1987 at an Old Strathcona former telephone exchange building before later moving to its current home at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre, The Telephone Historical Centre has long been dedicated to this purpose.
The museum features fascinating and educational displays about Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone system as it stands today, from handphones and bell systems through modern communications networks such as IP phones. Exhibits are hands on and interactive; visitors can try their luck at operating the working switching station themselves while learning more about how communications have developed over time.
The Canadian Telephony Museum is unique. Operated by a volunteer committee composed of active pensioners who possess extensive knowledge about telephone history, it offers something for all ages to see and explore during tours led by knowledgeable docents who share their expertise while giving insights into its development over time.
