The invention of the telephone changed the world. That’s no exaggeration. Phones are such ubiquitous features of our lives now that it can be difficult to imagine life without them, or to understand just how astonishing this invention truly was in the 19th century.

Over the six lectures of Alexander Graham Bell and the First Phone Call, Professor W. Bernard (Bernie) Carlson tells the story of one of the great touchstones of American technology: Bell’s invention of the telephone in 1876. As you follow his journey of discovery, you’ll also explore key themes in American history that are as relevant now as they were over a century ago, including the constant battle between small creators and powerful corporations, the question of who controls information in a democratic society, and the benefits and drawbacks of the patent system when it comes to technological innovation.

Invention is often seen as a Eureka moment, a turning point of sudden change and creative fulfillment. But, as you’ll discover throughout these lectures, the path of Bell’s invention from a successful experiment to a worldwide phenomenon was far from smooth. There were legal battles, business struggles, and many smaller moments of success and failure that would make the telephone an indispensable fixture of our modern world. As you examine this transformative moment in history, you’ll find that it’s about more than the telephone itself—it’s a story that explores vital questions of freedom, technology, and connection that we’re still asking today.