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Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson made an important discovery, by accident, on June 2, 1875. While working on their \u2018harmonic telegraph\u2019. Watson inadvertently plucked a reed that had been tightly wound around the pole of its electromagnet, producing a twang that Bell heard on a second device next door.\nMeanwhile, Elisha Gray, co-founder of Western Electric Company, was working on, as his patent put it, \u201cTransmitting Vocal Sounds Telegraphically.\u201d Gray had been using liquid transmitters in his telephone experiments for more than two years; an innovation which mysteriously turned up in Bell\u2019s technology after Gray filed his patent...\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover how Bell\u2019s deaf wife and mother inspired his interest in the human voice; reveal Queen Victoria\u2019s thoughts on being presented with the new technology; and declare which of the two men was the \u2018Tesla\u2019 of the race to invent the telephone\u2026\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018Ahoy! Alexander Graham Bell and the first telephone call\u2019 (Science Museum): https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/ahoy-alexander-graham-bell-and-first-telephone-call\n\u2022 The Invention and Evolution of the Telephone (ThoughtCo, 2021): https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-telephone-alexander-graham-bell-1991380\n\u2022 \u2018The life and work of Alexander Graham Bell (dramatisation)\u2019 (BBC Teach, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n_5jG_9fAE\n#Victorian #Inventions #Technology\nWe'll be back on Monday - unless you join\xa0\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!\nPlus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.\nJoin now via\xa0Apple Podcasts\xa0or\xa0Patreon.\xa0Thanks!\n\xa0\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices