The History of The Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell (Courtesy: amazonaws.com)

PBS Article: Alexander Graham Bell and The Telephone

The link above directs you to pbs.org where readers can learn about the history of the telephone.

After reading this article, I was astonished at how involved Alexander Graham Bell was after inventing the telephone and creating a new industry. I found it interesting that doctors and pharmacists became the early adopters of this new product while it was no surprise to learn that the wealthy were among the first to acquire the telephone as well. History has shown that the wealthy have always tried to stay concurrent with all the newest trends. Even more so today as social status is greatly dictated by the number of assets one has in their possession and how expensive it is. 

The telephone is one of mankind's greatest inventions. It revolutionized the way people communicate across long distances and increased the chances of a recipient receiving a message. Without Alexander Graham Bell's invention, widely successful companies such as AT&T and Verizon may never have existed. I would imagine that a world without cellphones would be less exciting and much more inconvenient. From the perspective of social interaction, people would not be able to communicate as easy throughout the day, talking less frequently than with a phone. From the perspective of commerce, people would lose the option of paying with their phone, restricting the maximum profits made by businesses. Overall, the world should recognize Bell's contribution to society and appreciate his great invention. 

The Microchip

Image Of A Modern Day Microchip
(Courtesy: thereelnetwork.net)

PBS Article: History Of The Microchip

The link above directs you to PBS.org where readers can learn about the history of the microchip.

The microchip, an invention that has spurred so many others that it can be considered a building block for most future technologies. Most commonly, it serves to be used as a personal computing device. Due to Moore's law, microchip technology is advancing, reaching greater computing power at cheaper costs. Due to this defined law, the average smartphone in 2016 has more computing power than Apollo 11 in 1969 when it ventured to the moon, says Time magazine. As described in a 2012 NASA post, "smartphones have more than 100 times the computing power of the average satellite, with fast processors, high resolution cameras, GPS receivers and several radios and sensors built in". With such vast capabilities and advanced technology, the power to create increases exponentially.

The reality, however, is that the average smartphone owner will not use their phone to develop anything useful, but remain a consumer only to download applications or send text messages. For those who have contributed to the advancement of society with life improving products or services, the world thanks you and hopes to see more inspiring people like yourself.

Stengel, Richard. "Making Sense of Our Wireless World." Time. Time Inc., 27 Aug. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. 

Yost, Bruce. "This Week @ NASA, November 23, 2012." NASA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 23 Nov. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.

Battery

Various Battery Types (Courtesy: durham.ca)

About.com Article: History Of The Battery 

The link above directs you to About.com where readers can learn about the history of the battery

By reading this article, it becomes clear that the battery was far from a modern day invention. In fact its concept dates back to the 18th century, when Benjamin Franklin coined the term battery. According to the article, he described it as "an array of charged glass plates" . The concept of containing electricity in a confined space for future use may seem like a mediocre explanation of an electrical cell, however, at the birth of this concept was a groundbreaking technology. By the mid 19th century improvements had been made and further revolutionized in 1859 when Gaston Plante, a French inventor made the first rechargeable battery. It was only in 1901 when Alkaline batteries were invented and 1954 when solar cells reached the market. All of which are taken for granted now that almost every small appliance or device requires some form of battery.

With a majority of the world carrying around their own personal rechargeable battery cell in their pockets on the daily basis, it is difficult to forget about its humble beginning. Yet somehow society still manages to overlook this detail integrated into their cell-phone(s). Perhaps it is all the distractions and applications that can be installed on today's smartphones. Consideration towards the battery only occurs when the owner has expended their battery life low enough to where they receive notification. It is during this event that the owner experiences a sense of panic and then urgency to recharge the cell takes precedence in order to remain connected to the digital world. The point of all this being that despite being disposable as well as negligible in many modern day instances, the battery has had a long journey since its introduction to the world, one that if suddenly nonexistent would change the lives of many.