Alexander Graham Bell was granted the first patent for the telephone in 1876. The device worked by converting sound waves into electrical signals that could be transmitted over wires and then converted back into sound at the other end. Bell's first successful transmission was to his assistant: 'Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.' The telephone transformed social and business life, making it possible to have real-time conversations across vast distances. It led to the decline of the telegraph and the rise of a global telecommunications infrastructure. The invention also had a major impact on the workforce, creating thousands of jobs for switchboard operators, a role primarily held by women in the early 20th century.