This paper will examine the history and development of the telephone, from its early foundations in telegraph technology to its modern incarnation in cell networks and telepresence. It will be seen how, although based in part on telegraph technology, the invention of the telephone represented a fundamental shift in innovative thinking that was primarily due to the insight of two men: Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson. It will be shown that - from the invention of phone "ringing" to the telephone booth - the developers of the telephone (initially inside, and later outside, of the Bell company) have diverted considerable resources toward engineering easy public use and comfort with this technology. This, more than anything else, accounts for the ubiquitous nature of the telephone in modern life. 18 pgs. 40 f/c. 5b.