First Telephone Call (1876)

Hello there. My name is Alexander Graham Bell, but you can call me Aleck. Ever since I was a little boy, I have loved sounds. The happy chirping of a bird, the buzzing of a busy bee, and the sound of people laughing. I thought sounds were like magic. One day, I had a great big idea. What if I could capture a sound, like my own voice, and send it through a long, long wire. It would be like sending a whisper to a friend who was all the way in another room, or even another house. I wanted to make a talking wire. I worked in my workshop for a very long time, putting pieces together and trying to make my idea work. It was my biggest dream to help people talk to each other, even when they were far apart.

On March 10th, 1876, I was working in my special room. My good friend, Mr. Watson, was in another room, waiting and listening. We had a long wire that connected our two rooms. On my table was a funny machine with a horn to speak into and lots of wires that looked like spaghetti. I was working very carefully, but oh dear, I made a mistake. I accidentally spilled some sticky liquid all over my pants. It was a big mess. Without even thinking, I leaned over to my machine and said, 'Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.' I did not shout, I just spoke. I thought he would never hear me. But then, I heard a sound. It was the sound of rushing footsteps coming closer and closer.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and there was Mr. Watson. He looked so excited. He said he heard my voice through the wire. He heard every single word. It worked. My talking wire worked. We did a little happy dance right there in my workshop. We were so filled with joy. That was the very first telephone call in the whole world. I grew old, and then I passed away, but that little call started something wonderful. My invention, the telephone, now lets everyone talk to family and friends, no matter how far apart they are. It all started with a big idea and a little accident.