Monday, March 7, 2011

Question of the Week

On this day in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone from the US Patent Office.  On March 10, three days after receiving the patent, he successfully transmitted the famous first words.

What famous sentence was transmitted?

Answer:  "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."

Now, you may ask, who was Mr. Watson?  Thomas Watson was an experienced electrical designer and mechanic.  While Bell had the "germ of a great invention," he realized he did not have the equipment nor the expertise to make a working model.  A chance meeting at a machine shop changed all that.  There he met Watson and hired him as his assistant.  On that historic day, March 10, 1876, Mr. Watson heard the words loud and clear through the liquid transmitter now known as the telephone.  Just think how far we have come since then...

2 comments:

ami said...

Was it "Mary had a little lamb"?

Liz Mebane said...

Ami - not quite. Keep guessing...