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The Story of the Telephone
How a voice learned to travel
Grab your imaginary tin cans and strings, because we are going on a trip to see how your voice learned to fly!
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- 1830s
Code on Wires
Before phones, people used a telegraph to send messages. It could only make clicks and beeps, not real voice sounds.
The big idea
Your voice can turn into electricity and travel super fast through wires and the air.
Fun facts
- β¨ The word 'telephone' comes from two old words that mean 'far away' and 'voice'.
- β¨ Early phones didn't ring, so people had to tap on the wire or shout to get someone's attention!
- β¨ The first cell phone took ten whole hours to charge, and you could only talk on it for 30 minutes.
Science words
- Vibration β A super fast back-and-forth wiggle that makes sound.
- Signal β An invisible electrical message that carries information.
- Operator β A person who used to connect phone calls by plugging in wires.