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Content: Telephone History
1877-1900
The Wisconsin Mosaic: Information Infrastructure
   
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The Telephone in Wisconsin
   
1877-1900
   
The telephone today is a ubiquitous or even obsolete tool of
communication and information exchange. When it appeared in the
nineteenth century, however, the new tool provided a radical way for
individuals to talk to each other, person to person, in real time. Neither
the postal system nor the telegraph could provide large-scale, everyday
information as people created it, and deliver it immediately to someone
else. The power of the telephone can be seen in its immediate spread
across the country. AlexanderGraham Bell invented the
telephone in 1876. He made his first call in March to Thomas A. Watson,
saying, "Mr. Watson, come here; I want you." Few people considered
Bell's invention more than a toy, but it did not take long for people to
install telephones in their homes, businesses, or towns. Bell owned the
patents to the equipment and leased them out.