Book Argues That Bell Stole Phone Idea

December 26th, 2007 By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Technology Writer

This is an undated file photograph of Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone. A new book claims to have definitive evidence of a long-suspected technological crime -- that Alexander Graham Bell stole ideas for the telephone from a rival, Elisha Gray. (AP File Photo)

(AP) -- A new book claims to have definitive evidence of a long-suspected technological crime - that Alexander Graham Bell stole ideas for the telephone from a rival, Elisha Gray.

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• earls - Dec 26, 2007
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  truth
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• NeilFarbstein - Dec 26, 2007
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  Alex's behavior sounded very bizarre.
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• earls - Dec 26, 2007
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  hurray for the patent system - genius; then, now and forever.
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• theonion - Dec 27, 2007
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  I am confused. It would surprise me that any serious treatise on the subject could possibly be written without mention of Antonio Meucci, an italian immigrant to the US who developed a communication apparatus in 1857. He was finally recognized officially by the US House of Representatives in 2001 and in 2002 as the inventor of the telephone, thus undoing an injustice perpetrated by the same government over 100 years before.
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• ShadowRam - Dec 28, 2007
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  They'll try anything to change the history books to make it look like an American invented the telephone.. how sad...
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• Ashibayai - Dec 31, 2007
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  Although I rather enjoy hating on other nations without reason, I really think this is more a case of a man's desire for personal gain than an entire country conspiring to claim a single (however important) invention from over a century past.
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• COCO - Jan 02, 2008
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  I think this may point to an alien factor - where technology was modified to suit this application. I can see no other explanation.
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