"In this experiment, made on the 9th of October, 1876, actual conversation, backwards and forwards, upon the same line, and by the same instruments reciprocally used, was successfully carried on for the first time upon a real line of miles in length."
Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born inventor and engineer associated with the development of practical telephony. He also worked on communication systems for the deaf and on aeronautics and hydrofoils. He remains a central historical figure in communications technology.