On this day in 1876...

     

Does the name Elisha Gray ring a bell? Didn't think so.

     Who invented the telephone? For some, it's a Gray area. While Alexander Graham Bell received US Patent #174,465 on this day for his new invention, Middle Child/electrical engineer Elisha Gray came this close to being a household name. And I’m holding my fingers so they almost touch when I say that.
     On February 14, 1876, Gray went to the U.S. Patent office to file a caveat, a declaration stating his intention to apply for a patent for his version of the telephone. He should’ve got there sooner. It turns out another Middle Child filed a patent for the same invention a few hours earlier. Yeah, that Bell guy.
     Gray’s lawyers accused Bell of stealing the invention by engaging in bribery and shady dealings with the patent office. In fact, one patent office employee admitted he was an alcoholic deeply in debt to Bell’s lawyer. But in the end, the courts upheld Bell’s patent, finding Gray’s argument didn’t ring true.