Telecom Heroes
Thomas Augustus Watson
Thomas A. Watson served as an assistant to Alexander Graham Bell, playing a role in the development of the telephone in 1876. He was the recipient of the first telephone call from Bell, who was in an adjacent room, and his name was the first spoken over the device. According to Bell's laboratory notebook, the first words transmitted were: "Mr. Watson – Come here – I want to see you."
Following the invention of the telephone, Watson designed several related accessories, including the ringer. The ringer was intended to alert individuals not near the phone of incoming calls. Subsequently, he developed the polarized ringer, which used a small hammer and two bells to produce alternating sounds through electromagnetic action; this device remained in production for six decades.
Watson left the Bell Telephone Company in 1881 at the age of 27 and later pursued careers in farming, geology, shipbuilding, and acting.
On January 25, 1915, Watson was at 333 Grant Avenue in San Francisco to receive the first transcontinental telephone call, initiated by Bell from the telephone building at 15 Dey Street in New York City. President Woodrow Wilson and the mayors of both cities participated in the event.
Telecom Heroes
Thomas Augustus Watson
Thomas Watson (THG file photo)
Thomas A. Watson served as an assistant to Alexander Graham Bell, playing a role in the development of the telephone in 1876. He was the recipient of the first telephone call from Bell, who was in an adjacent room, and his name was the first spoken over the device. According to Bell's laboratory notebook, the first words transmitted were: "Mr. Watson – Come here – I want to see you."
Following the invention of the telephone, Watson designed several related accessories, including the ringer. The ringer was intended to alert individuals not near the phone of incoming calls. Subsequently, he developed the polarized ringer, which used a small hammer and two bells to produce alternating sounds through electromagnetic action; this device remained in production for six decades.
Watson left the Bell Telephone Company in 1881 at the age of 27 and later pursued careers in farming, geology, shipbuilding, and acting.
On January 25, 1915, Watson was at 333 Grant Avenue in San Francisco to receive the first transcontinental telephone call, initiated by Bell from the telephone building at 15 Dey Street in New York City. President Woodrow Wilson and the mayors of both cities participated in the event.
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