Questions
How old was Alexander Graham Bell when he began teaching people how to speak clearly?
What year did Alexander Graham Bell invent the telephone?
The metal detector was used to find a bullet in the president’s body. What is another way to use a metal detector?
Alexander Graham Bell
"Can you hear me now?"
Many people know that Alexander Graham Bell is famous for inventing the telephone. But did you know that Alexander was not a very good student? He loved learning about science, but he had a hard time learning to read. Alexander never did finish school. What happened?
Today, people think that Alexander had a learning problem called dyslexia. People with dyslexia can learn to read, but they learn differently. They think about problems and solve problems differently. But this is also why they are so successful. They find new ways to answer old questions.
After he left school, Alexander lived with his grandfather. His grandfather told Alexander to work hard and continue to study. Alexander discovered that he loved learning and teaching new things. Alexander’s mother was losing her hearing. His grandfather told Alexander, “You must speak clearly to your mother. I’ll teach you how to do that.” Soon Alexander’s mother could understand everything her son was saying. Soon after that, Alexander was teaching other people how to speak clearly. He was only 16 years old.
Alexander worked with many people who had a hard time hearing. One of his students was a woman named Mabel Hubbard. Alexander and Mabel fell in love and got married. By now, Alexander was really interested in speech and hearing and the science of sound. His interest led to the invention of the first telephone in 1875.
Alexander Graham Bell is known as the father of the telephone. But he never put a telephone into his own office! Why? He had work to do! He did not want to hear a telephone ringing all the time.
After the telephone, Alexander invented other important things. He invented a metal detector. A metal detector can find metal that is hidden. At that time, the President of the United States —President Garfield — had been shot. The doctors needed to find a bullet inside the President’s body. The doctors couldn’t find the bullet in the President’s body so Alexander made them a metal detector. Although President Garfield died, a new invention was born.
School was never easy for Alexander. But that never stopped him. He worked hard and became very successful. You can thank him for making the first telephone that led to the one inside your pocket.