Wednesdays, October 15, 22, 29 November 5, 12, 19
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

More than any other invention of the past 150 years, the telephone transformed how we communicate and conduct business. This course explores Alexander Graham Bell’s groundbreaking 1875 concept for transmitting sound over an electric wire. It delves into his struggles to commercialize the telephone with his father-in-law, Gardiner Hubbard, and his rivalry with inventors Elisha Gray and Thomas Edison. The course also examines the rise and fall of AT&T as a corporate giant and the evolution from wired networks to today’s cellular and smartphone technologies, highlighting the profound impact of this invention.

Bernard (Bernie) Carlson is Vaughan Professor Emeritus of Humanities at the University of Virginia and an expert on invention, entrepreneurship, and the role of technology in society. Now based in Ireland, he directs the MS program in AgInnovation at the University of Galway.