The First of Scotland

The invention of the telephone, the early years of the steamboat and other great Scottish firsts.

Christopher Winn | Published in 12 Mar 2012

Portrait of Alexander Graham Bell ca. 1914–1919

‘Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you.’ These words, the first words to be transmitted by telephone, were uttered on March 10th, 1876 by Edinburgh-born Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), inventor of the world’s first practical telephone. He went on to found the Bell Telephone Company, which became AT&T, and was a founding member of the National Geographic Society. Here are some other Scottish firsts.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.