130 Years Later- Alexander Graham Bell Speaks Again

This might be another news story to discuss with young people.Alexander Graham Bell~ famed for his invention of the telephone~is in the news.Recordings he made back in the 1880s have again been played at the Library of Congress~ our nation's library~ located in Washington~ DC~ for the first time in 130 years.
Made on discs and cylinders~ six of his fragile recordings were brought to life thanks to advances in technology that enabled the sound to be recovered from tiny grooves with light and a 3D camera.Some of the recordings included the reciting of Shakespeare's verse~ "To be~ or not to be"~ counting 1-2-3 and a trill of the tongue. For more than 100 years~ the recordings have been housed at the Smithsonian Institution... thought to be forever silent. It is hoped that retrieving these early sounds of communication will help shed more light on the history of communication.

Discussion question:

If you could speak with someone from the past~ whom might it be and why? What might be 3 questions to ask of that person.

Activities:

Research a famous speech(ie: Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" or Martin Luther King's "I Had a Dream" speech)

You might wish to have your students read the folllowing story on Alexander Graham Bell:

Happy Holidays!

Gail Hennessey