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Primary sourceDocument1892 (testimony given 1879, published 1908)

The Bell Telephone: The Deposition of Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell · 1892 (testimony given 1879, published 1908)

Bell's sworn courtroom testimony describing, in his own words, how he invented the telephone.

Bell's own sworn account of inventing the telephone, given to defend his patents in court.

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About this source

What it is

This is a published transcript of testimony given under oath by Alexander Graham Bell in 1879, during a lawsuit over his telephone patents. It was printed in 1908 as a book-length record of his account.

Why it matters

Patent lawsuits forced Bell to explain, in detail and under cross-examination, exactly how and when he invented the speaking telephone. This makes the deposition one of the most thorough first-person narratives of the invention, created not for fame but to defend Bell's legal rights against rival claimants like Daniel Drawbaugh.

Look closer

  • Why might a legal document be more reliable, or less reliable, than a memoir written for the public?
  • What does the existence of a patent lawsuit tell you about how valuable the telephone was seen to be?
  • How might Bell's answers differ because he knew lawyers would challenge every detail?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Alexander Graham on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Portrait of Alexander Graham Bell

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