BobRingReflections

This article is about the history of the telephone, the most widely used telecommunications device in the world.   Billions of telephones are in use today. The article will cover the invention of the telephone; the growth of telephone service; the telephone’s evolution from dial, to touchtone, to cordless; and the transition to mobile phones, including cell phones and smart phones; and a look at how today’s phones have changed our lives.     I have a particular interest in this subject because my Uncle, Douglas Ring, was directly involved in the invention of the cell phone. Principal sources for this article include: “History of the Telephone,” nationalitpa.com; “How the Telephone Was Invented,” thought.com; “Telephone,” britatnnia.com; “How Your Cell Phone Came to Be,” ringbrothershistory.com; and numerous other online sources. Before Telephones Before the invention of electric telephones, mechanical acoustic devices existed for transmitting speech over short distances. Th