The development of telephony in the United States

The telephone was invented 24 years after the founding of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Architects, which society commemorated its Centennial in September 1952. The telephone was 8 years old when the American Institute of Electrical Engineers was founded. Since Bell´s invention, the telephone business has grown tremendously and this growth has been greatly dependent on developments in science and engineering. This paper traces, and endeavors to give the significance of, the major developments. Brief mention is made of some developments still in the making and of some ideas as to the future potentialities of the business.