Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922)^[4] was a Scottish-born^{[N 3]} scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone.^[7]

Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell's life's work.^[8] His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876.^{[N 4]} Bell considered his most famous invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.^{[9][N 5]}

Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. In 1888, Bell became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.^[11]