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| Sunday, 15 May 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Alexander Graham Bell : The man who brought the world closer
Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Although many inventors had been working on the idea of sending human speech by wire, Bell was the first to succeed. The telephone grew out of improvements Bell had made to the telegraph. He had developed the "harmonic telegraph", which could send more than one message at a time over a single telegraph wire. Bell proved that it would be possible to pick up all the sounds of the human voice using an adaptation of the "harmonic telegraph". In 1875, along with his assistant Thomas A. Watson, Bell developed instruments that transmitted recognizable voice-like sounds. Bell's first telephone patent was granted on March 7, 1876. Three days later, he and Watson, located in different rooms, were about to test the new type of transmitter described in his patent. Watson heard Bell's voice saying, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you". Bell had upset a battery, spilling acid on his clothing. He soon forgot the accident in his excitement over the success of the telephone transmitter. The first telephone company, Bell Telephone Company, was founded on July 9, 1877. After inventing the telephone, Bell continued his experiments in communication. He invented the photophone-transmission of sound on a beam of light, the precursor of fibre optics. He also invented techniques for teaching speech to the deaf. Bell was granted 18 patents in his name, while he shared 12 with collaborators. With the enormous technical and later financial success with his telephone invention, Alexander Graham Bell's future was secure, and he was able to arrange his life so that he could devote himself to his scientific interests. Towards this end, in 1881, he used the $10,000 award for winning France's Volta Prize to set up the Volta Laboratory in Washington. Bell spent the last decade of his life improving hydrofoil designs, and in 1919 he and Casey Baldwin built a hydrofoil that set a world water-speed record that was not broken until 1963. Alexander Graham Bell died in Baddek, Nova Scotia, on August 2, 1922. He might easily have been content with the success of his telephone invention. His many laboratory notebooks demonstrate, however, that he was driven by a genuine and rare intellectual curiosity that kept him regularly searching, striving, and wanting, always, to learn and to create. ************** Indira Gandhi : One of the first women premiers
At the age of twelve, Indira became the leader of a children's group called the Monkey Brigade, whose purpose was to help end British control in India. Being its leader, she delivered speeches while other children warned the people who were going to be arrested by the British. In 1938, Indira finally joined the Indian National Congress party, something she always longed to do. Soon afterwards, in 1942, she married journalist Feroze Gandhi and eventually had two sons. Soon after they were married, the couple were sent to prison on charges of subversion by the British. Her first and only imprisonment lasted from September 11, 1942 until May 13, 1943 at the Naini Central Jail in Allahabad. Fortunately, India won its independence from Britain in 1947. In the same year, Indira's father Jawaharlal Nehru became Prime Minister and served in this capacity until his death in 1964. Since her mother had died in 1936, Indira acted as hostess and travelled with Nehru to meet famous political figures. Later in 1959, she became the fourth woman to be elected President of the Indian National Congress. After her father's death, the new Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri appointed Indira as Minister of Information and Broadcasting. This position was the fourth highest ranking position in the Cabinet. After Shastri's death in 1966, Indira Gandhi served as Prime Minister until India held the next election. She won that election, and in 1967, became one of the first women ever to be elected to lead a democracy. In 1971, she was re-elected by campaigning with the slogan "Abolish Poverty". She regained her position as Prime Minister in 1980. Unfortunately on October 31, 1984, she was shot dead by her own bodyguards. As Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi tried to improve the lives of the
Indians. She improved relations with her neighbours, the Soviet Union and
China. She also promoted science and technology. In 1971, India sent its
first satellite into space. Economically, Indira Gandhi led India to
become one of the fastest growing economies in the world towards the end
of her tenure as Prime Minister. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
The World Telecommunication Day will be celebrated on May 17. When
celebrating this day which is significant to all mankind, there is one
important person we need to talk about. He is Alexander Graham Bell who
invented the telephone. 
Indira Nehru Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917 and was the daughter
of Jawaharlal and Kamala Nehru. with the influence and inspiration that
she got from her parents, Indira Gandhi rose to power in India and became
Prime Minister. Indira dedicated her life to progress in her country
despite the many problems and challenges she had to face. 
