Who invented the telephone?

WRONG!

Alexander Gra...

WRONG!

But...

WRONG!

As with most 19th century inventions, the answer is not that simple. Yes, Alexander Graham Bell gets most of the credit, for he was awarded the patent in 1876. We will dismiss Antonio Meucci, who created "telephone-like" devices as far back as 1854 (no one knew how they worked. We wouldn't discount a midget hiding in a box). But one must consider Johann Philipp Reis; the German scientist created the first prototype in 1860, and coined the word "telephon" in 1862.

So why doesn't Reis get the credit? Well, one theory states that he was Jewish, so the Nazis tried to erase his contributions. However, there is nothing to confirm the claim, for even if Reis had Jewish ancestry, his parents were Christian. Reis' big failing seems to be that his device did not transport speech as well as Bell's, and it was the latter's work that became the basis for the modern telephone.

Oh well. Since Reis wasn't Jewish, we're not gonna dwell on it. Let's just say that the telephone was invented by Reis AND Bell. Sound fair?