The telephone, as patented in 1876, is credited to Alexander Graham Bell.

Quick Scoop: Who invented the telephone in 1876?

  • Alexander Graham Bell received the first United States patent for the telephone on March 7, 1876.
  • This patent covered an apparatus for transmitting vocal sounds electrically, which is why Bell is widely recognized as the inventor of the telephone in 1876.
  • Just days later, on March 10, 1876, he made the famous first successful call to his assistant Thomas Watson: “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.”

But was it only Bell?

Historically, several inventors experimented with transmitting sound electrically before Bell, including Antonio Meucci, Johann Philipp Reis, and others.

However, Bell’s design was the first to be granted a successful, enforceable patent in 1876, which is why textbooks and exams usually answer the question “who invented telephone in 1876” with: Alexander Graham Bell.

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