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- Alexander Graham Bell patented the first phone in 1876.
- In the nearly 150 years since phones have evolved from the bulky earliest models to the smartphones of today.
- Phones have gone from a strange new technology to an essential part of daily life.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
In 1876, inventor Alexander Graham Bell patented the first phone: a bulky device with a curved mouthpiece and earpiece connected by wires. It looked much different than the iPhones of today.
In recognition of Bell's birthday on March 3, we're taking a look back at the design evolution of the phone over the past 144 years.
The Smithsonian Institution recently made 2.8 million images from its 19 museums, plus research centers, archives, and the National Zoo available online. Check out some of these phones below, starting with Alexander Graham Bell's first 19th-century phone.
Leanna Garfield contributed to an earlier version of this story.
In 1876, Bell received the first telephone patent for this device, which he used to successfully make between Boston and Salem.National Museum of American HistorySource: Smithsonian
In the 1930s, famed industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss created what many consider to be the first modern telephone: the Model 302. Its design signaled a departure from earlier models: the ringer is in the phone (instead of a separate component), the cradle lies horizontally, and you speak and listen to the same piece resting on top.Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Source: Slate
After the Model 302, AT&T realized it could sell the phone to the masses. The phone's traditionally square base was replaced by a slimmer design with a touchpad, called the Trimline, first produced by the phone company in 1965. Buttons for "*" and "#" were added too.Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
As the 1960s went on, phones got even smaller. The Grillo Cricket can fold up, setting it apart from other phones at the time. The clam-shell shape influenced the design of the modern flip phone.Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Up until 1977, AT&T had a monopoly on phone design in the US. But that year, the Supreme Court lifted restrictions that once prevented people from buying and designing their own phones. This decision, along with AT&T's divestment from the Bell Company, resulted in all kinds of creative phone designs, including the '80s Beocom one below.Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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