Thomas Watson Explains the 1876 Invention of the Telephone: Filmed in 1931

Born in Salem, Massachusetts,Thomas A. Watson (January 18, 1854 – December 13, 1934) was a bookkeeper and a carpenter before he found a job more to his liking in the Charles Williams machine shop in Boston. He was then hired by Alexander Graham Bell, who was then a professor at Boston University.

This is the story of the birth of the telephone. Watson recalls experiences from his work on the invention of the telephone (1875-1915) and shows instruments and replicas of instruments from the early days of telephony. He relates episodes relating to the work and personality of Alexander Graham Bell and describes events of March 10, 1876, when Bell's call for help after an accident was heard by Watson over a receiver they had been testing. Filmed in 1931.

This video is made for educational purposes for fair use under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976.