Bell's Box Telephone of 1877

The first commercial telephone used by Alexander Graham Bell was based on his patent of January 1877. The telephone consisted of a single transmitter/receiver placed within a retangular wooden box. somebody could speak into the opening in the box and then listen through the same opening. This telephone had essentially the same design as the patent drawing except for the shape. The the patent drawing had a round shape rather than squared.

Two or more of these box phones were connected in series on a line with a ground return. The first telephone line was installed in April 1877 between Charles William's electrical shop on Court Street, Boston and his home about three miles away. A month later the first rented installations were made making this line the first commercial phone service. A mark in history that would pave the way first for families to have a phone in every home, then individuals to have smaller portable phones, a phone answering machine for businesses and much more yet to come.

The box phone had nothing to warn you of incoming calls. June of 1877, Thomas Watson devised a "thumper" that would strike the diaphram of the box phone to make a tapping sound on the receiving telephone as a signal device.




the earliest advertisment i was able to come over in my research was this one ---->
 

as you can see all it is is words in a boring black text and it is extremely long. i wonder how many people actually took the time to read this out of their day after all back in the 1800s weren't they still doing insane amount of chores and stuff to get by?


A Bell System logo (called the Blue Bell) used from 1889 to 1900. The Bell Telephone Company and its successors created the Bell System and drove its expansion.