March 10 marks the day when the first phone call ever was made. Before you read on, think a little. How many of you do NOT have a phone? What do you use your phone for? What do you mostly use your phone for? Nowadays, telephones have different functions. Originally, Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, only hoped to transmit¹ the human voice by telegraph. Bell’s patent was issued on March 7, 1876, by the U.S. Patent Office. Three days later, Bell got his telephone to work and made the very first phone call ever. His words “Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you” have become famous. Alexander Graham Bell has been accused of² stealing the idea from another inventor, Elisha Gray. However, Bell’s claims were always upheld in court. Bell founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, which dominated phone service in the United States until it broke up in the 1980s.

Discuss: What do you think would amaze Bell most if he saw modern phones? Imagine a day without your mobile phone. What would change?

Jana Chrtianska

Vocabulary:  1 vysielať – vysílat; 2 obvinený z – obviněný