Once, but a luxury to a few business men to what has become an item that many of us could not live without. Phones have come a long way since their invention just over a hundred years ago. Here is a look at their History in brief.

The Dawn of the Phone line

A highly debated subject as to who actually invented the telephone, but the most widely accepted inventor of it is Scotland's Alexander Graham Bell. He was awarded a US Patent on his machine in 1876. The first phone call was made over a distance of fifteen feet! The conversation went along the lines of "Watson, come here, I want you." The invention came about while looking for a replacement for the telegraph machine although at this time the look of the machine was not on top of Bells priorities. Elisha Gray is also worth a mention as Gray put in for a patent for a model using related technology around the same time as Bells.

First phones in houses

The first phones on the market were produced for the upper classes; their designs were often showy and classic to the architecture of the Victorian Era. These initial phones you had to use both hands to use the handset, rather unlike the modern single handed design we are using to today.

Phone Boxes

Public phone boxes were once a common sight in the UK and operated by the Post Office. They were revolutionary in their day, and are still iconic to date. But they had their everyday uses at the time many could not afford a phone in their own home. These soon became privatised and other companies had a slice of the market. The Police had their own phone boxes which were for police use only.

In Car Telephones

The first time phones took on a form of mobility they were used in cars. They had to be really as the amount of fittings essential for them to work had to be incorporated into the boot of a car. This technology will be looked back on and maybe laughed about by future generations, but it was a necessary step to get to where we are today

Mobile Phones

These were rightly the paramount mobile telephones. However they were still the size of a briefcase and very expensive. Also at the time, they were seen as more of a status symbol than a useful piece of technology.

The second generation Mobiles

This new wave of mobile phones was smaller and relatively inexpensive compared to their first generation cousins. They soon became very popular and threatened to wipe out the use of landline technology in homes. These early mobile phones were very bulky and some of the first models are called 'bricks' because of their size and bulkiness.

Smart Phones

Also known as smartphones, but these are more than just phones boasting touch screens, cameras and a range of computer applications the user can add to their inventory. These specimens are more likely compared to computers than their ancestors.