Bell and gray: Contrasts in style, politics, and etiquette

In the late 1870's both Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray claimed to be "the inventor" of the telephone. Both held substantial claims to this title. Yet, conventional folk wisdom tells us that Bell invented the telephone. This paper explores one reason for this outcome: the difference in the style of invention between Bell, a professional speech teacher, and Gray, a professional inventor. Just as style is crucial in the success of an author or an artist, style is also critical in an inventor's success. Central to this study of the differences in Bell's and Gray's style is the element of science. The two inventors saw science in very different ways. Thinking that the electrical transmimion of speech was more a matter of interest to the scientific community than the technical community, Gray chose not to develop his mature ideas on how this could be accomplished. Bell, on the other hand, saw great commercial possibilities in the telephone. In developing the device, Bell not only applied what science he knew, he also used the scientific community to establish priority for his invention and to provide expert witnesses for his ideas. He achieved success in this regard because he understood the norms of science in America and followed them with perfect etiquette.