Johann Philipp Reis

Johann Philipp Reis (January 7, 1834 – January 24, 1874), was born in Gelnhausen, Germany, as son to a poor baker. He was self-taught scientist and inventor who constructed one of the first working telephones. (See Reis' telephone).

Technological assessment

Documents in the London Science Museum show, that, in 1947, engineers from the British firm Standard Telephones and Cables (STC) found, that Philipp Reis's device dating from 1863 could transmit and "reproduce speech of good quality but of low efficiency".

Related Topics:
London - Science Museum - 1947 - British - Standard Telephones and Cables - 1863

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Sir Frank Gill, then chairman of STC, ordered, that the tests be kept secret, as STC was negotiating with the AT&T, which had evolved from the Bell Company of Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was generally accepted to have invented the telephone, and Gill thought that evidence to the contrary might disrupt the negotiations.

Related Topics:
AT&T - Alexander Graham Bell

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Besides Philipp Reis and Bell, Antonio Meucci and Elisha Gray both invented similar devices. Meucci was officially recognized as inventor of the telephone on September 25, 2001, by the US Congress.

Related Topics:
Antonio Meucci - Elisha Gray

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