發明英文d

Ⅰ 有一個新的發明英語怎麼寫

Have a new invention

Ⅱ 介紹發明的英語作文

The Telephone
The telephone is one of the most welcome and useful inventions.No wonder more and more families have got to use their own telephones today.
The telephone makes things easy in many ways.Especially,after the mobile telephone appears,communication becomes easier and rapider.To students and people going out for business far away from their homes,the telephone can shorten the distance between them and their families.Thus they will get comfort whenever they are homesick or they run into trouble.With the help of the telephone,people can keep in touch with anyone at any time and in any place for urgent help.
All in all,the telephone is so helpful that we can say that nowadays we can not live without the telephone in our daily life.We will further improve the performance of the telephone so as to create better conditions for its development.
電話
電話是目前最受歡迎和最有用的發明之一,怪不得越來越多的人已經使用了自己的電話.
電話在許多方面使事情變得簡單,尤其是在行動電話出現以後,通訊變得更加快捷方便.對於那些離家的學生和做生意的人來說,電話縮短了同家人的距離,在此它能蛤想家的人和處在困難中的人一個好的心情.有了電話幫助,人們可以隨時隨地和任何人聯系,尋求緊急幫助.在這種情況下,電話顯得尤其重要.
總之,電話是如此有用,以至於如今的日常生活離不開它.我們逐步提高電話功能,為它的發展創造更好的條件.

Ⅲ 26個英文字母是誰發明的

英文26個字母的由來

人們都知道，英文有26個字母。但這26個字母的來歷，知道的人恐怕就不多了。原來，英文字母淵源於拉丁字母，拉丁字母淵源於希臘字母，而希臘字母則是由腓尼基字母演變而來的。
腓尼基是地中海東岸的文明古國，其地理位置大約相當於今天黎巴嫩和敘利亞的沿海一帶。「腓尼基」是希臘人對這一地區的稱謂，意思是「紫色之國」，因該地盛產紫色染料而得名。羅馬人則稱之為「布匿」。
公元前20世紀初，在腓尼基產生一些小的奴隸制城邦，但從未形成統一的國家。在古代，腓尼基以工商業和航海業聞名於世。至公元前10世紀前後，其活動范圍已達今塞普勒斯、西西里島、撒丁島、法國、西班牙和北部非洲，並建立了許多殖民地。公元前8世紀以後，亞述、新巴比倫等國相繼侵入腓尼基。公元前6世紀，腓尼基終於被波斯帝國兼並。
大約公元前13世紀，腓尼基人創造了人類歷史上第一批字母文字，共22個字母（無母音）。這是腓尼基人對人類文化的偉大貢獻。腓尼基字母是世界字母文字的開端。在西方，它派生出古希臘字母，後者又發展為拉丁字母和斯拉夫字母。而希臘字母和拉丁字母是所有西方國家字母的基礎。在東方，它派生出阿拉美亞字母，由此又演化出印度、阿拉伯、希伯萊、波斯等民族字母。中國的維吾爾、蒙古、滿文字母也是由此演化而來。
據考證，腓尼基字母主要是依據古埃及的圖畫文字制定的。在古埃及，「A」是表示「牛頭」的圖畫；「B」是表示「家」或「院子」的圖畫；「C」和「G」是表示「曲尺」的圖畫；「D」是表示「門扇」的圖畫；「E」是表示一個「舉起雙手叫喊的人」的圖畫；「F」、「V」、「Y」是表示「棍棒」或「支棒」的圖畫；「H」是表示「一節麻絲卷」的圖畫；「I」是表示「展開的手」的圖畫；「K」是表示「手掌」的圖畫；「M」是表示「水」的圖畫；「N」是表示「蛇」的圖畫；「O」是表示「眼睛」的圖畫；「P」是表示「嘴巴」的圖畫；「Q」是表示「繩圈」的圖畫；「R」是表示「人頭」的圖畫；「S」和「X」是表示「丘陵地」或「魚」的圖畫；「T」是表示「豎十字型」的圖畫；「Z」是表示「撬」或「箭」的圖畫。公元前2世紀時，拉丁字母已包括了這23個字母。後來，為了雕刻和手寫的方便，並為了使母音的「V」和輔音的「V」相區別，便把原來的「V」的下方改成圓形而定為母音「U」；又把兩個「V」連起來變出了一個做輔音用的「W」，這個「W」的出現已是11世紀的事了。後來人們又把「I」稍稍變化而另創出一個輔音字母「J」。這樣，原來的23個字母再加上「U」、「W」、「J」三個字母，就構成了26個字母的字母表了。中世紀時，拉丁字母基本定型，後世西方文字（當然也包括英文）都是由它演變而來。 原載1993年《歷史大觀園》

Ⅳ 有關發明的英語作文

三篇收集的作文，望採納
1、In modern life we have many inventions.Thesemachines are very useful.They can make things better and faster than people.A washing machine can help us wash clothes.We have more time to do that we want to doring this time.A printing machine prints a lot of books,newspapers and other things qiickly.Buses,bikes,cars,trains,planes and shipshelr us travel faster than before.The compter is wonderful machine.It is one of the most important inventions. Today it is used in many ways.It can store innformations and work out math problems millions of times faster than a person can.In a few years,the computer may touch the lives of everyone.Even people in faraway villages.
在現代生活中，我們有許多發明。這些都是很有用的。他們可以做的更好，比人快。洗衣機可以幫我們洗衣服。我們有更多的時間去做我們想干這一次。印刷機出版了大量的書籍，報紙和其他東西qiickly公共汽車，自行車。汽車，火車，飛機，和shipshelr我們游得更快。計算機是神奇的機器。它是最重要的發明之一。今天，它是用來在許多方面。它可以存儲innformations和解決數學問題的數百萬倍的人能更快。在幾年之內，計算機可能觸及每個人的生活。即使人在遙遠的村莊。

2、19世紀初，人們開始使用煤氣燈(瓦斯燈)，但是煤氣靠管道供給，一但漏氣或堵塞，非常容易出事，人們對於照明的改革，十分殷切。事實上，愛迪生為自己訂定了一個不可能的任務：除了改良照明之外，還要愛迪生發明的電燈創造一套供電的系統。 於是他和夢羅園的夥伴們，不眠不休的做了1600多次耐熱材料和600多種植物纖維的實驗，才製造出第一個炭絲燈泡，可以一次燃燒45個鍾頭。後來他更在這基礎上不斷改良製造的方法，終於推出可以點燃1200小時的竹絲燈泡。 19世紀80年代中期，愛迪生的電燈事業獲得了成功，這一成功比以往任何成就給他帶來的聲譽都大。在80年代中期以前，他很少有失誤，中期以後，盡管他也取得了很大成就，但失敗也是屢見不鮮的。愛迪生最不值得稱贊的行為之一就是他批評交流電，說它有副作用，可能造成死亡與損傷，但他未加具體說明。所以有人說，「像他這樣一個自己搞出了許多發明創造的人竟然對別人的新發明大加攻擊，這是很矛盾的事。」他反對使用交流電而贊成直流電，因而在一場激烈而固執的論戰中敗北。在這方面，反映出了愛迪生成為名人之後漸漸滋生的頑固守舊的缺點。
In the early nineteenth century, people began to use gas (gaslight), but the gas pipeline supply by a leak or blockage, very easy to have an accident, people for illumination of reform, very ardent. In fact, Edison for himself set the mission impossible: in addition to improve lighting, but also of Thomas Edison electric light Create a set of power supply system. And he and the dream LuoYuan buddies, sleepless do 1600 repeatedly heat-resistant material and more than 600 plant fiber experiment, only proced the first carbon wire bulb, can a burning 45 hours. Later he more on this basis, the method of continuous improvement manufacture can ignite 12 hours finally came out with the ZhuSi bulbs. The 19th century the 1980s, Edison electric light career succeeded, this success than any previous achievements brought him reputation. In the 1980s, before he had little mistake, intermediate later, although he has made great achievements, but also common occurance of failure. Edison's most not commendable actions is one of his criticism alternating current, say it has side effects, likely cause of death and injury, but he did not add details. So somebody said, "as he such a mess out many inventions that people about others' new invention saurday attack, this is very contradictory things." He opposes the use of alternating current and direct current, so the approve a fierce debate and stubborn in failure. In this respect, reflects the Edison became a celebrity after the stubbornness of started to foster old-fashioned shortcomings.

3、I will invent a time machine in the as it 's been my dream in my life. Time machine allows people to travel back in time to prevent disaster to happen. It also allows people to tavel into dinstant future to find out solution for Incurable illness including cancer and aids. However, this machine may be abused by people to create chaos in our world or even completely change our history. Therfore, security features are essential for my invention. The future invention of time machine will definately bring more advantages for human being.我會因為它是我的夢想在我的生活中，發明時間機器。時間機器允許人們旅行回來的時間來防止災難的發生。它也允許人們對tavel入dinstant未來發現無法治癒的疾病包括癌症和艾滋病的解決方案。然而，這台機器可能被濫用的人創造了我們的世界甚至完全改變我們的歷史的混亂。因此，安全的特點是我發明的關鍵。未來的時間機器肯定會為人類帶來更多的優勢。

Ⅳ 最偉大的發明 英文

口語考試，《最偉大的發明》，以下的較為簡單，但是不知道你要講幾分鍾，全篇給你貼上：
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Ten Great Inventions of China
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In the last two centuries, new cultural discoveries have nearly rewritten history. It』s been an exciting time, full of adventure and surprises. Around every corner there are new responses to questions we had already imagined answered. And of these breakthroughs, none shines as brightly as the impact of ancient Chinese inventions on modern life. As we explore ten of the greatest inventions and innovations of Ancient China, you may be surprised at their influence on recent technology.

1. Paper. Paper, as we know it, was invented in China around the year 105. After seeing earlier attempts made from silk, bamboo sticks and animal skins, Cai Lun came up with his own idea. After mixing mulberry bark, rags, wheat stalks and other stuff, a pulp formed. This pulp was pressed into sheets and dried, becoming a crude form of paper. Paper was such an important invention that the process of making it was a jealously guarded secret. The secret was safe until the seventh century when the art spread to India.

2. The Printing Press. Before Johann Gutenberg 「invented」 the printing press in the 1440』s, China created a type of printing press between 206 B.C. and A.D. 45. It was made using stone tablets to create a 「rubbing」 of famous Buddhist and Confucian texts. Next came block printing in the Sui Dynasty. In block printing, images and words were engraved on wooden boards, smeared with ink and pressed onto sheets of paper. Later, moveable type printing presses were introced. According to the authors of Ancient Inventions, 「By A.D. 1000, paged books in the modern style had replaced scrolls – a good 450 years ahead of Gutenberg.」

3. The First Book. Due to the early advent of the printing press, China also claims the first book. In 868, almost six hundred years before the Gutenberg Bible, the earliest known book was printed. By the end of the Tang dynasty, China had bookstores in almost every city.

4. Paper Money. While today you』d rather carry a lot of cash instead of coin, that hasn』t always been the case. The idea of paper currency was first attempted under Emperor Han Wu-Ti (140-87 B.C.) after war had drained the treasury. He issued treasury notes, worth and in exchange for 400,000 copper coins. Instead of paper, the Emperor used the skin of the white stag. But the creature was so rare that the idea soon lost appeal. In the early 800』s, the idea revived to deter highway robbers. In 812, the government was again printing money. By the year 1023, money had an expiration date and was already plagued by inflation and counterfeiting. Nearly six hundred years later paper money headed west, first printed in Sweden in 1601.

5. The Abacus. Well before Texas Instruments, the first calculator was in the works. The abacus dates from around the year 200 B.C. It is a very advanced tool with a simple design. Wood is crafted into a rectangular frame with rods running from base to top. About 2/3』s from the base, a divider crosses the frame, known as the counting bar. On each of the rods are beads. All of the beads above the counting bar equal five. Those below equal one. The rows of rods are read from right to left. The furthest bar to the right holds the one』s place, the next holds the ten』s place, then the hundred』s, and so on. While its design may sound complex, there are some Chinese today so skilled that they can solve difficult math problems faster than someone using a calculator!

6. The Decimal System. In the West, the decimal system appeared quite recently. Its first believed instance was in a Spanish manuscript dated around 976. But, the first true example goes back much further. In China, an inscription dated from the 13th century B.C., 「547 days」 was written as 「five hundred plus four decades plus seven of days.」 The Chinese likely created the decimal system because their language depended on characters (like pictures) instead of an alphabet. Each number had its own unique character. Without the decimal system, the Chinese would have had a terrible time memorizing all of these new characters. By using units of ones, tens, hundreds, etc., the Chinese saved time and trouble.

7. The Mechanical Clock. In the year 732, a Buddhist monk and mathematician invented the first mechanical clock. He named it 「Water-Driven Spherical Bird』s-Eye-View Map of the Heavens.」 Like earlier clocks, water gave it power, but machinery cased the movement. But, after a few years, corrosion and freezing temperatures took their toll. It wasn』t until 1090, when astronomer Su Sung designed his mechanical marvel 「Cosmic Engine」, that a more dependable timepiece was made. Created for Emperor Ying Zong, this clock had a tower over 30 feet tall. It housed machinery that, among other things, caused wooden puppets to pop from one of five doors at regular intervals throughout the day. (Much like the modern idea of a Cuckoo clock.) The entire machine was powered by a giant waterwheel. This clock ran until 1126, when it was dismantled by the conquering Tartars and moved to Peking for another several years. The first clock reference in Western history was in 1335, in the church of St. Gothard in Milan.

8. The Planetarium. A planetarium is a big enclosed space that shows the stars and constellations on the inside. Orbitoscope was the name of the first projection planetarium. It was built in Basil in 1912 by Professor E. Hinderman. But, once again, China is the mother of this invention. The first planetarium is attributed to the design of an early emperor. As one source states, an astronomer named Jamaluddin created a planetarium ring the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), along with a perpetual calendar and other important astronomical devices.

9. The Earthquake Sensor. The earliest earthquake sensor was also an interesting piece of art. It was a bronze cylinder about 8 feet around, with 8 dragons perched above 8 open-mouthed frogs. In the mouth of each dragon rested a bronze ball. When an earthquake struck, a penlum inside the cylinder would swing. It knocked the ball from the mouth of the dragon and down into the frog』s mouth. That frog』s back was then facing the direction of the center of the quake. Chang Heng invented it in A.D. 132 (ring the Han Dynasty), almost 600 years before the first western sensor was made in France. Later, in 1939, Imamura Akitsune recreated the invention and actually proved it effective.

10. The Helicopter Rotor & Propeller. While the Ancient Chinese didn』t actually invent the helicopter, they were involved in its creation. In the 4th century A.D., they invented a toy called the 「Bamboo Dragonfly」. You』ve probably seen them as prizes at local fairs or carnivals. It was a toy top, with a base like a pencil and a small helicopter-like blade at the end. The top was wrapped with a cord. When you pulled the cord, the blade would spin around and soar into the air. This toy was studied by Sir George Cayley in 1809 and played a role in the birth of modern aviation. It wasn』t until the early 1900』s that the first helicopter took flight.

Ⅵ 中國四大發明翻譯成英文

中國四大發明的英文：The four great inventions of ancient China

一、 invention

英[ɪn'venʃ(ə)n]美[ɪn'vɛnʃən]

n. 發明；發明物；虛構；發明才能

Such changes have not been seen since the invention of the printing press.

自從發明了印刷機，這種變革還沒有出現過。

二、ancient

英[ˈeɪnʃənt]美[ˈenʃənt]

adj. 古代的；古老的，過時的；年老的

n. 古代人；老人

They believed ancient Greece and Rome were vital sources of learning.

他們認為古代希臘羅馬是知識的重要發源地。

(6)發明英文d擴展閱讀

具體四大發明的英文：

1、papermaking

美 [ˈpæpərˌmeɪkɪŋ]

造紙；造紙術；抄造；抄紙；第五章紙的抄造

Straw can be used both for fodder and for papermaking.

草可以做飼料，也可以造紙。

2、gunpowder

英 [ˈɡʌnpaʊdə(r)] 美 [ˈɡʌnpaʊdər]

n.火葯

.

遠在公元11世紀，中國已使用火葯。

3、printing techniques

英 [ˈprɪntɪŋ tɛkˈniːks] 美 [ˈprɪntɪŋ tɛkˈniks]

印刷技術；印刷術

In the future, we will have a better a better understanding if our world through the effect of globalization, new media, cheaper printing techniques and so on.

在未來，透過全球化的影響、新媒體、更廉價的印刷技術，我們將有一個更好的更深入的了解我們的世界。

4、compass

英 [ˈkʌmpəs] 美 [ˈkʌmpəs]

n.羅盤；羅經；指南針；羅盤儀；圓規；兩腳規；范圍；范疇；界限

Without a compass, it is easy to lose one's bearings in the woods.

在森林中沒有指南針是容易迷失方向的。

Ⅶ 26個英文字母是怎樣發明的

英文字復母源於拉丁字制母，拉丁字母源於希臘字母，而希臘字母則是由腓尼基字母演變而來的。

腓尼基是地中海東岸的文明古國，其地理位置大約相當於今天黎巴嫩和敘利亞的沿海一帶。「腓尼基」是希臘人對這一地區的稱謂，意思是「紫色之國」，因該地盛產紫色染料而得名。

大約公元前13世紀，腓尼基人創造了人類歷史上第一批字母文字，共23個字母(無母音)。據考證，腓尼基字母主要是依據古埃及的圖畫文字制定的。比如，「A」是表示「牛頭」；「B」是表示「家」或「院子」；「C」和「G」是表示「曲尺」；「D」是表示「門扇」等等。原來的23個字母再加上稍稍變化而另創出的「U」、「W」、「J」三個字母，就構成了26個字母的字母表了。中世紀時，拉丁字母基本定型，後世西方文字都是由它演變而來。

Ⅷ 發明 的英語單詞

語法標註解釋 invent英音：[in'vent]美音：[ɪn'vɛnt]
語法標註解釋 devise英音：[di'vaiz]美音：[dɪ'vaɪz]

Ⅸ 發明and英語

AT A GLANCE:
Probably no means of communication has revolutionized the daily lives of ordinary people more than the telephone. The actual history of the telephone is a subject of complex dispute. The controversy began with the success of the invention and continues today. Some of the inventors credited with inventing the telephone include Antonio Meucci, Philip Reis, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell. Bell's experiments with his assistant Thomas Watson finally proved successful on March 10, 1876, when the first complete sentence was transmitted: "Watson, come here; I want you.". THE STORY
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Invention: telephone on March 10, 1876
Early telephone photo courtesy www.att.com
Definition: noun / tel·e·phone
Function: An instrument which converts sound, specifically the human voice, to electrical impulses of various frequencies and then back to a tone that sounds like the original voice.t
Patent(s): 174,465 (US) issued March 7, 1876 filed February 14, 1876
161,739 (US) issued April 6, 1875 filed March 6, 1875
Inventor: Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell photo courtesy www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca
Criteria; First practical. Modern prototype. Entrepreneur.
Birth: March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland
Death: August 2, 1922, at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada
Nationality: American
Milestones:
1831 Michael Faraday proved that vibrations of metal could be converted to electrical impulses
1861 Johann Philip Reis built a apparatus that changed sound to electricity and back again to sound
1871 Antonio Meucci filed his patent caveat (notice of intention to take out a patent)
1874 A. G. Bell while working on a multiple telegraph, developed the basic ideas for the telephon
1875 Bell files first patent for improved telegraphy
1876 Bell and Watson transmit the first complete sentence
1876 Bell files patent application on February 14,. patent issues March 7
1876 Elisha Gray filed his patent caveat (notice of intention to take out a patent) on February 14,
1877 formed Bell Telephone Company to operate local telephone exchange operation
1877 first city exchange installed in Hartford, Connecticut
1879 irst exchange outside the United States was built in London, England
1880 invented the photophone, which transmits speech by light rays
1882 acquired a controlling interest in the Western Electric Company, Elisha Gray's company
1883 irst exchange linking two major cities was established between New York and Boston
1885 formed American Telephone and Telegraph Company to operate the long distance network.
1888 coin operated pay telephone was patented by William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut
1891 first automatic telephone exchange was patented by Almon Strowger of Kansas City
1921 The Detroit Police Department, began experimentation with one-way vehicular mobile service.
1928 Detroit Police commenced regular one-way radio communication with all its patrol cars.
1933 Bayonne, NJ Police Department initiated regular two-way communications with its patrol cars
1936 Alton Dickieson, H.I. Romnes and D. Mitchell begin design of AT&T's mobile phone system
1940 Connecticut State Police began statewide two-way, on the frequency molated (FM)
1941 FM mobile radio became standard throughout the country following the success in Connecticut
1946 A driver in St. Louis, Mo., placed a phone call,it was the first AT&T mobile telephone call.
1948 wireless telephone service was available in almost 100 cities and highway corridors.
1947 cellular telephone service conceived by D.H. Ring at Bell Labs, but the technology didn't exist
1962 The first commercial touch-tone phones were a big hit in their preview at Seattle World's Fair.
1970 commercial Picture phone service debuted in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1971 Richard Frenkiel and Joel Engel of AT&T applied computers and electronics to make it work.
1973 Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first cellphone call to his rival Joe Engel of AT&T Bell Labs
1978 AT&T concted FCC-authorized field trials in Chicago and Newark, N.J.
1979 the first cellular network was launched in Japan.
1982 FCC granted commercial licenses to an AT&T subsidiary, Advanced Mobile Phone Service
1983 AMPS was then divided among the local companies as part of the planning for divestiture
1983 Illinois Bell opened the first commercial cellular system in October
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The Story:
Probably no means of communication has revolutionized the daily lives of ordinary people more than the telephone. Simply described, it is a system which converts sound, specifically the human voice, to electrical impulses of various frequencies and then back to a tone that sounds like the original voice. In 1831, Englishman Michael Faraday (1791-1867) proved that vibrations of metal could be converted to electrical impulses. This was the technological basis of the telephone, but no one actually used this system to transmit sound until 1861. In that year, Johann Philip Reis (1834-1874) in Germany is said to have built a simple apparatus that changed sound to electricity and back again to sound. A crude device, it was incapable of transmitting most frequencies, and it was never fully developed.

A practical telephone was actually invented independently by two men working in the United States, Elisha Gray and Scottish-born Alexander Graham Bell. Incredibly, both men filed for a patent on their designs at the New York patent office on February 14, 1876, with Bell beating Gray by only two hours! Although Gray had built the first steel diaphragm / electromagnet receiver in 1874, he wasn』t able to master the design of a workable transmitter until after Bell had. Bell had worked tirelessly, experimenting with various types of mechanisms, while Gray had become discouraged.

According to the famous story, the first fully intelligible telephone call occurred on March 6, 1876, when Bell, in one room, called to his assistant in another room. "Come here, Watson, I want you."

Watson heard the request through a receiver connected to the transmitter that Bell had designed, and what followed after that is a history of the founding of the Bell Telephone Company (later AT&T), which grew to be the largest telephone company in the world.

The first telephone system, known as an exchange, which is a practical means of communicating between many people who have telephones, was installed in Hartford, Connecticut in 1877, and the first exchange linking two major cities was established between New York and Boston in 1883. The first exchange outside the United States was built in London in 1879. The exchange involved a group of operators working at a large switchboard. The operators would answer an incoming telephone call and connect it manually to the party being called. The first automatic telephone exchange was patented by Almon Strowger of Kansas City in 1891 and installed in 1892, but manual switchboards remained in common use until the middle of the twentieth century.

The coin operated pay telephone was patented by William Gray of Hartford in 1889. The first rotary dial telephone was developed in 1923 by Antoine Barnay in France. The mobile telephone was invented by Bell Telephone Company and introced into New York City police cars in 1924. Although the first commercial mobile telephone service became available in St. Louis, Missouri in 1946, the mobile telephone would not become common for another four decades.

The first touch-tone system - which used tones in the voice frequency range rather than pulses generated by rotary dials - was installed in Baltimore, MD, in 1941. Operators in a central switching office pushed the buttons; it was much too expensive for general use. However, the Bell System was intrigued by touch-tone because it increased the speed of dialing.

By the early 1960s, low-cost transistors and associated circuit components made the introction of touch-tone into home telephones possible. Extensive human factors tests determined the position of the buttons to limit errors and increase dialing speed even further. The first commercial touch-tone phones were a big hit in their preview at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.

The first Picturephone test system, built in 1956, was crude—it transmitted an image only once every two seconds. But by 1964 a complete experimental system, the "Mod 1," had been developed. To test it, the public was invited to place calls between special exhibits at Disneyland and the New York World』s Fair. In both locations, visitors were carefully interviewed afterward by a market research agency.

People, it turned out, didn』t like Picturephone. The equipment was too bulky, the controls too unfriendly, and the picture too small. But the Bell System was convinced that Picturephone was viable. Trials went on for six more years. In 1970, commercial Picturephone service debuted in downtown Pittsburgh and AT&T executives confidently predicted that a million Picturephone sets would be in use by 1980.

What happened? Despite its improvements, Picturephone was still big, expensive, and uncomfortably intrusive. It was only two decades later, with improvements in speed, resolution, miniaturization, and the incorporation of Picturephone into another piece of desktop equipment, the computer, that the promise of a personal video communication system was realized.

In 1978, American Telephone and Telegraph』s (AT&T) Bell Laboratories began testing a mobile telephone system based on hexagonal geographical regions called cells. As the caller』s vehicle passed from one cell to another, an automatic switching system would transfer the telephone call to another cell without interruption. The cellular telephone system began nationwide usage in the United States in 1983.

The actual history of the telephone is a subject of complex dispute. The controversy began with the success of the invention and continues today. Some of the inventors credited with inventing the telephone include Antonio Meucci, Philip Reis, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell.