Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), Scottish-US telephone pioneer. Bell followed his father and grandfather into the speech therapy profession, but also studied sound waves and the mechanics of speech. By 1871, he had moved to the USA, becoming professor of Vocal Physiology at Boston. In Boston he performed experiments in converting sound waves into electrical impulses for transmission down wires (telephony). While not the true inventor of the telephone, Bell's work helped develop earlier ideas and make telephones into practical working devices. In 1876, he patented the telephone and founded what became the AT&T Company. He worked on many problems, later founding the journal Science.