A gatecrasher spoils the party

Abstract

Sunday June 25, 1876 has gone down in history as the date of General Custer’s last stand at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. However, this date also proved to be very significant for a young Scotsman by the name of Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was exhibiting his newly invented telephone at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, which had been organized to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. There was no shortage of wonders on display, including the first electric light and a number of important developments relating to the telegraph. As a result, Bell had failed to obtain a stand in the Electrical section and was tucked away in a narrow space between a stairway and a wall in the Education section. After more than 6 weeks on display, his telephone had failed to attract any serious attention.