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Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), Scottish-US telephone pioneer. Bell is most famous for his work that helped make telephones into practical working devices. Bell was originally a speech therapist, but also studied sound waves and the mechanics of speech. By 1871, he had moved to the USA, becoming professor of Vocal Physiology at Boston, where he performed experiments in converting sound waves into electrical impulses for transmission down wires (telephony). In 1876, he patented the telephone and founded what became the AT&T Company. He later founded the journal Science. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES LIBRARY/NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)