History of the Telephone: 150th anniversary special
3/27/202655 min
For our 150th episode, Greg Jenner is joined by historian Professor Iwan Morus and comedian Catherine Bohart to learn about the history of the telephone on its 150th anniversary. The inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, was granted the American patent for his new communication system 150 years ago, on the 7th March 1876, beating out fellow inventor Elisha Gray who had submitted his patent on the very same day. But Bell still had to convince people that this novel form of communication would change their lives, and so he set out on a promotional tour across America and England...
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First 90 secondsGreg Jenner· Host0:00
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Donovan Woods and Tom Power0:03
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Greg Jenner· Host0:35
[soft music] Ahoy-hoy, and welcome to You're Dead to Me, the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes history seriously. My name's Greg Jenner, and I'm a public historian, author, and broadcaster. And today, it is our one hundred and fiftieth episode, and so we are picking up the receiver and dialing back exactly one hundred and fifty years to learn all about the invention of the telephone. And to help us with this special anniversary episode, we have two very special callers on the line. In History Corner, he's Professor of History at the University of Aberystwyth, and he's an expert on the history and culture of Victorian science. You may have read one of his wonderful books, including How the Victorians Took Us to the Moon, and you'll remember him from our episode on vital electricity. It's Professor Iwan Morris. Welcome back, Iwan.
Iwan Morus· Guest1:19
It's a pleasure to be here again, Greg.
Greg Jenner· Host1:21
Delighted to have you back. And in Comedy Corner, she's an award-winning comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster. You may have seen her hilarious stand-up shows or on the TV on Last