Telephone Socket

A direct-replacement socket cover in a dark brown "Bakelite" colour. Guarenteed to offer a warm, subtle replacement for the brash, modern white ones almost exclusively used now.

History

The identity of the inventor of the electric telephone remains in dispute. Antonio Meucci, Johann Philipp Reis, and Alexander Graham Bell, amongst others, have all been credited with the invention.

The very early history of the telephone is a confusing morass of claim and counterclaim, which was not clarified by the huge mass of lawsuits which hoped to resolve the patent claims of individuals. Much money was expended, particularly in the Bell Telephone companies, and the aggressive defence of the Bell patents resulted in much confusion. Additionally, the earliest investigators preferred publication in the popular press and demonstration to investors instead of scientific publication and demonstration to fellow scientists. It is important to note that there is probably no single "inventor of the telephone". The modern telephone is the result of work done by many hands, all worthy of recognition of their addition to the field. Only in the last ten years, however, has the British government announced that it now recognises (primarily for educational purposes) Antonio Meucci as the first inventor of the telephone. His first device was shown in 1849.

It is said that the modern handset came into existence when a Swedish lineman tied a microphone and earphone to a stick so he could keep a hand free whilst stringing telephone cables along pylons whilst at the top of a very long ladder.