Would it surprise you to know that Alexander Graham Bell did not have a phone in his study? He considered it an unwelcome intrusion in his work. Ironic as that is, perhaps frenetic modern man could take a lesson from the inventor of the telephone.

It was on this day in 1875 that Bell made the first sound transmission using electric current - much the same as telegraph transmission - on his new invention, initially called a speaking telegraph. As he later explained, "If I could make a current of electricity vary in intensity precisely as the air varies in density during the production of sound, I should be able to transmit speech telegraphically." After perfecting and patenting his invention, on March 10, 1876, Bell made the first voice call to his associate, Thomas Watson. The first words were simply, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you."

Those facts are generally well known. But did you know:

1. Bell was a Scotsman, born in Edinburgh in 1847. He was educated in London, and emigrated to Canada in 1870 before coming to the U.S. as a young scientist.

2. Upon arriving in Boston in 1872, Bell established a school for the deaf. He continued to teach and work on inventions to aid deaf persons until his death in 1922.

3. Shortly after the first call, Bell offered to sell his invention to the largest telegraph company, Western Union, for $100,000. They turned him down, believing it wouldn't catch on. Later when public demand for telephones emerged and Western Union changed its mind, Bell refused.

4. Bell's scientific interests were broad; he experimented with metal-detection in wounds, and with a vacuum-jacket respirator that led to the development of the iron lung (later perfected by Idaho's own Dr. Forrest Bird). He also worked on Thomas Edison's phonograph, hydrofoil boats, and early aircraft models.

5. Bell's inventions and resulting companies made him rich, but he was generous. He financed other scientists and was a founder of the journal Science (the premier American scientific journal) and the National Geographic Society.

"Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus." - Alexander Graham Bell

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.