Yesterday in 1876: First two-way phone conversation

Continuing with Innovation and Discovery Week here on the blog…

Yesterday was the anniversary of the first two-way phone conversation.  On this plaque:

“From this site on October 9, 1876 the first two-way long distance telephone conversation was carried on for three hours. From here in Cambridgeport Thomas G. Watson spoke over a telegraph wire to Alexander Graham Bell at the office of the Walworth Mfg. Co. 69 Kirby Street, Boston, Mass.

While I wasn’t able to get a video of the first two-way, long distance telephone conversation, I was able to find one explaining how the first two-way, transatlantic telephone conversation worked.

In 1926 The Post Office and Bell Laboratories engineered the world’s first two way transatlantic telephone conversation (by radio) via Rugby Radio Station. We opened a commercial radio telephone service across the Atlantic in 1927, see how it was done in this video from 1938.

 

Here you go:

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A celebration of communication technology

This week’s word is: Technology!  Word of the Week is a bit different this week as we are celebrating technology.

As I shared on Monday, I’m celebrating communication technology this week in honor of Johannes Gutenberg (the inventor of the printing press) who died on Feb. 3rd in 1468.  The printing press was a huge advancement in communication, but there have been many others that have contributed to our growing and changing communication.  Here are just a few of the amazing technological advancements in communication:

1439 Gutenberg’s Printing Press

1835 Samuel Morse develops Morse Code

1876 Alexander Graham Bell exhibits the electric telephone

1877 Thomas Edison patents the phonograph

1901 Guglielmo Marconi transmits radio signals

1925 John Logie Baird transmits the first television signal

1963 First geosynchronous communications satellite is launched

1989 Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau built the prototype system which became the World Wide Web

The question becomes whether or not these advancements have increased our effectiveness as it’s increased our reach.  I believe the advancements have both helped and hurt us as a social community.  I have written several articles on this and I’ll refer you to them here, but I’d like to ask what YOUR take on it is.

Communication Technology Doesn’t Replace Communication Skill!

How Important is Face-to-Face Communication in the Computer Age?

Influence of Texting on Communication Skills

Joseph Priestley said, “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” What is your experience with communication technology vs communication effectiveness?  Please share and pass this link along to others so they may share their experiences as well.

 

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