THE INVENTION OF THE TELEPHONE

The invention of the telephone

Bell, initially, was attempting to develop a hearing aid, without realising that his invention would become an alternative to Morse's telegraph. His telephone was based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. When you speak into a microphone, a membrane vibrates. Connected to a magnet and a coil, this vibration then produces an electrical current which can be transmitted to a loudspeaker which in turn vibrates and emits sounds.

In 1876, in the city of Philadelphia, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated how the voice could be transmitted over a copper wire. News of this invention spread rapidly and telephonic apparatuses were soon installed in many areas of the world in the following years.

Curiously, the first telephone conversation between Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant Watson was as follows: “Come here, Watson, I need you!”

The controversy over who really invented the telephone

As we have just seen, it would appear that Alexander Graham Bell was the inventor of the telephone However, there is a controversy over this. It is possible that the telephone was invented sixteen years previously by Antonio Meucci.

The role that Meucci played in the history of this invention was recognised officially by the US House of Representatives in Resolution 269 dated 15 June 2002.

First telephone in Morocco

In Morocco, the first telephone line was installed in Tangier in 1883 (seven years after the official invention of the telephone) with a manual exchange. Then in Tetouan and Larache in 1898.

Within a short time, a second telephone exchange was established in Casablanca in 1908 with an initial capacity for sixteen subscribers.

In 1910, the Makhzen authorities proceeded to progressively acquire Emilio Rotondo’s telephone network, setting the stage for the state monopoly in the Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones sector.