Shutterstock.com
Bell made the first call in 1876.
There were no phones 150 years ago. Then Alexander Graham Bell invented one. He made the very first call.
Shutterstock.com (Top Phone); Illustrated London News/Getty Images (1876); ClassicStock/Alamy Stock Photo (Children); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Dial Phone); Shutterstock.com (Button Phone, burger phone cord); Marybeth Butler Rivera (Hamburger Phone); Glowimages/Getty Images (Mobile Phone); Westend61 on Offset (SmartPhone)
Hello? The Story of the Telephone
What were phones like long ago? They have changed a lot!
From the May/June 2026 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will follow the steps in an infographic to understand how phones have changed over time.
1. The First Call
2. They Had Cords
ClassicStock/Alamy Stock Photo
From the start, phones had cords. They had to be plugged into a wall. You could not walk with them!
3. Dial a Number
iStockPhoto/Getty Images
Early phones had dials. To make a call, you had to turn the dial—one number at a time.
4. Buttons!
Shutterstock.com
Buttons became popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
Then phones got buttons. Beep, boop, beep. Now you could dial faster.
5. Silly Phones
Shutterstock.com/Marybeth Butler Rivera
A hamburger phone from the 1980s
After that, people got phones in all kinds of shapes. Some were pretty silly!
6. Phones for Walking
Glowimages/Getty Images
Later, mobile phones were made. They did not need cords. Finally, you could walk around with a phone.
7. So Smart!
Westend61 on Offset
Today many people have smartphones. These phones have a screen. You can take photos with them. You can play games on them. And you can still make phone calls!
Activities
(2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
Text-to-Speech