What year did Alexander Graham Bell officially invented the telephone?

Elisha Gray invented the telephone in 1876
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisha_Gray

BUT alexander grahm bell's patent was filed about 2 hours before gray had filed his patent....

1877 first telephone lines installed in boston made of iron (not copper)
1878 first commercial telephone switchboard opened, serving 21 customers
1881 long distance began between boston and salem
1889 first automated telephone switches not requiring an operator at a switchboard
1915 first trans-contenental telephone cables completed
more info http://www.easytel.com/services/history.asp

http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/history/history-telephone

actual telephones were property of the telephone company, and leased to consumers, similar to how cable companies lease there cable box to you today... I am still trying to find out when phones were first offered for sale in the stores, but that would have to be some time in the 1970's

(EDIT) ok.. seems that purchasing your own phone was a little later then I assumed.. that happened around 1984 when AT&T was broken up into the smaller bell companies... http://www.porticus.org/bell/bell_system_property.html

(EDIT) good to see raekwonc54 knows how to cut and paste....

2008 no seriously

2008 no seriously