The life and achievements of Alexander Graham Bell was the subject of Barbara Graham’s talk at a recent meeting of Largs Probus Club, emphasising that his legacy extends far beyond the telephone. His life was a relentless drive to improve human communication, particularly for the deaf, indeed, Bell said his greatest achievement was his life’s work to help the deaf, not mentioning the telephone. Barbara advised that Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, into a family deeply rooted in the study of sound and speech. His father was a renowned expert in phonetics, and his grandfather and brother were also involved in elocution. It’s no surprise that young Alexander inherited a fascination with the mechanics of speech, even learning to communicate with his mother, who was deaf, through gestures and speech modulation. He taught elocution and music at a school in Elgin where he realised you could have a career in a specific area of education.
In 1870, the Bell family moved to Canada due to family health issues, and later Alexander relocated to Boston, Massachusetts where he began teaching at a school for the deaf. Here he worked on methods of teaching speech to the hearing-impaired, pursuing his fascination with transmitting sound electronically. He was particularly interested in the idea of sending multiple messages over the same wire, a concept known as the “harmonic telegraph.” One of his students was Mabel Hubbard who had become deaf at age five because of scarlet fever. Mabel was to become his wife and her father, a lawyer and investor, helped finance many of Bell’s projects.
On March 10, 1876, Bell made history by speaking the first words ever transmitted via telephone to his assistant Thomas Watson: “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.” This moment marked the birth of the telephone, a revolutionary device that would transform the way humans connect and defined Bell’s fame.
This was however just one of his many contributions to science and humanity which Barbara covered, including his founding of the Volta Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where he developed techniques to help deaf individuals learn to speak. In 1880, Bell invented the photophone, a device that transmitted sound using a beam of light, a precursor to modern fibre-optic communications. His work with the deaf in the 1890s increased the number of deaf people who could speak from 40% to 80%.
He also had an interest in aviation being a founding member of the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) and contributed to the development of early flying machines, including tetrahedral kites and hydrofoil boats, the HD-4 hydrofoil setting a world marine speed record in 1919.
Alexander Graham Bell passed away on August 2, 1922, in Nova Scotia, Canada but his influence lives on not only in the devices we use daily but also in his unwavering belief in the power of communication. His first home in Canada is preserved as a museum.
Bill Young proposed the vote of thanks to Barbara for what was a well delivered, interesting and illuminating talk on a fascinating character whose humanitarian efforts and scientific curiosity benefited the deaf and us.
Why not join us at our next meeting?
New members are always welcomed at the Club. If you are 50 or over, retired, or nearing retirement, (men only, I’m afraid, sorry ladies) you can attend three meetings as a guest and find out what a relaxed and friendly time we have. That’s plenty of time to decide whether to become a Club member or not. Please check out our programme and email info@largsprobus.org.uk if you wish to attend as a guest, or to enquire about joining.
Largs Probus Club will next meet in the Willowbank Hotel on Wednesday 6th August at 10am when Charles Murray will speak on his visit to Antarctica.