Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci ( / m eɪ ˈ uː tʃ i / may- OO -chee , Italian: [anˈtɔːnjo meˈuttʃi] ; 13 April 1808 – 18 October 1889) was an Italian inventor who worked with Giuseppe Garibaldi, an important leader in Italy’s history. Meucci is most known for creating a device that allowed people to communicate by voice, which some sources say was the first telephone.

Meucci built a system to send voice messages between his bedroom on the second floor of his home in Staten Island, New York, and his laboratory. In 1871, he sent a notice about his invention to the U.S. Patent Office, but his notice did not describe using electricity to transmit sound. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was given a patent for sending sound through electric current that moves in waves. Although Bell is often credited with inventing the telephone, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities honored Meucci’s 200th birthday in 2008 with the title "Inventor of the telephone." In 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a statement recognizing Meucci’s role in inventing the telephone. However, the U.S. Senate did not support this statement, and some people disagree about what the statement means.

Early life

Antonio Meucci was born on April 13, 1808, at Via dei Serragli 44 in the San Frediano borough of Florence, which was part of the First French Empire (now part of the Italian Republic). He was the first of nine children born to Amatis Meucci and Domenica Pepi. Amatis worked as a government clerk and a member of the local police, while Domenica was primarily a homemaker. Four of Meucci’s siblings did not live to reach adulthood.

In November 1821, at the age of 13, Meucci was enrolled in the Florence Academy of Fine Arts as its youngest student. He studied chemical and mechanical engineering there. He stopped studying full-time after two years because he did not have enough money, but he continued learning part-time while working as an assistant gatekeeper and customs official for the Florentine government.

In May 1825, during celebrations for the birth of Marie Anna of Saxony, wife of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Meucci created a strong propellant mixture for fireworks. The fireworks became uncontrollable, causing damage and injuries in the celebration’s square. Meucci was arrested and suspected of plotting against the Grand Duchy.

Later, Meucci worked as a stage technician at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, assisting Artemio Canovetti. In 1834, Meucci built a type of acoustic telephone to help communicate between the stage and control room at the Teatro della Pergola. This telephone was made using the same principles as pipe-telephones used on ships and still works today. On August 7, 1834, Meucci married Esterre Mochi, a costume designer who also worked at the same theater.

Havana, Cuba

In October 1835, Meucci and his wife moved to Cuba, which was then a part of Spain. There, Meucci worked at a theater called Teatro Tacón in Havana, which was the largest theater in the Americas at that time. In Havana, he built a system to clean water and helped repair the Gran Teatro.

In 1848, Meucci’s agreement with the governor ended. Doctors asked him to help test a treatment method developed by Franz Anton Mesmer for people with joint pain. In 1849, Meucci created a popular way to use electric shocks to treat illness. He also made a device that could help people hear unclear human voices. He named this device "telegrafo parlante," which means "talking telegraph."

In 1850, Meucci’s third agreement with Don Francisco Martí y Torrens ended. His friendship with General Giuseppe Garibaldi caused people in Cuba to view him with suspicion. Meanwhile, the success of Samuel F. B. Morse in the United States inspired Meucci to focus on creating inventions for his livelihood.

Staten Island, New York

On April 13, 1850, Meucci and his wife moved to the United States. They brought about 26,000 pesos fuertes (about $500,000 in 2010 dollars) with them and settled in Clifton, Staten Island, New York. The Meuccis lived there for the rest of their lives. On Staten Island, Meucci helped Italian men who supported the movement to unite Italy and had escaped political trouble. Meucci used the money he earned in Cuba to start a tallow candle factory (the first of its kind in the Americas) and hired several Italian exiles to work there. For two years, Meucci invited friends to his home, including General Giuseppe Garibaldi and Colonel Paolo Bovi Campeggi, who arrived in New York two months after Meucci. These men worked in Meucci's factory. In 1854, Meucci's wife, Esterre, could not move well because of rheumatoid arthritis. Meucci continued his experiments.

Electromagnetic telephone

Antonio Meucci studied how sound could be sent through wires using electricity for many years. In 1856, he successfully sent his voice through wires. He placed a telephone-like device in his home to talk to his wife, who was sick. Notes Meucci wrote in 1857 explain how electromagnetic waves can carry sound, which is the basic idea of a telephone:

Meucci created an electromagnetic telephone to connect his bedroom on the second floor to his basement laboratory, allowing him to speak with his wife. From 1856 to 1870, he created over 30 different types of telephones based on this first model.

In 2003, Italy made a postage stamp that showed a picture of Meucci. Around 1858, artist Nestore Corradi drew a picture of Meucci’s communication idea. This drawing was included with the stamp in a special publication by the Italian Postal and Telegraph Society.

Meucci wanted to improve his invention but did not have enough money to keep his business running. His candle factory went out of business, and he tried to get money from wealthy Italian families but failed. In 1860, he asked his friend Enrico Bandelari to find wealthy Italians who could fund his project. However, military campaigns led by Garibaldi in the area made the political situation too unstable for people to invest.

Bankruptcy

At the same time, Meucci faced poverty because some debtors acted dishonestly. On November 13, 1861, his cottage was sold at auction. The person who bought the cottage allowed the Meucci family to live there without paying rent. However, Meucci’s personal money decreased, and he eventually relied on government funds and help from friends. As noted in William J. Wallace’s ruling, between 1859 and 1861, Meucci had close business and social connections with William E. Ryder, who invested money in Meucci’s inventions and covered the costs of his experiments. Their partnership lasted until 1867.

In August 1870, Meucci reportedly successfully transmitted a clear human voice over a distance of one mile using a copper plate as a conductor, covered with cotton insulation. He named this device the "telettrofono." While recovering from injuries caused by a boiler explosion on the Staten Island ferry Westfield, Meucci’s financial and health conditions worsened. To raise money, his wife sold his drawings and inventions to a second-hand dealer.

Patent caveat

On December 12, 1871, Meucci made an agreement with Angelo Zilio Grandi, who was the Secretary of the Italian Consulate in New York, Angelo Antonio Tremeschin, an entrepreneur, and Sereno G.P. Breguglia Tremeschin, a businessman, to form the Telettrofono Company. The agreement was officially signed by Angelo Bertolino, a Notary Public in New York. Although the group provided Meucci with $20, only $15 was needed to file for a full patent. Meucci’s lawyer submitted a legal notice to the U.S. Patent Office on December 28, 1871. This notice was numbered 3335 and titled "Sound Telegraph." The following is the text of Meucci’s notice, excluding legal details like the Petition, Oath, and Jurat:

The petition of Antonio Meucci, of Clifton, in the County of Richmond and State of New York, respectfully states:

That he has made certain improvements in Sound Telegraphs, …

The following is a description of the invention, detailed enough for this notice.

I use the well-known ability of continuous metal wires to carry sound, and I improve this by insulating both the wire and the people communicating. This creates a Speaking Telegraph without needing a hollow tube.

I claim that part or all of this effect can also be achieved using a metal tube. I believe some metals work better than others, but I plan to test all types.

The system I propose involves isolating two people far apart by placing them on glass insulators. For example, glass could be used under the chairs or benches where each person sits. They would be connected by a telegraph wire.

I think using a thicker wire than usual in electric telegraphs might work better, but I will test this. Each person holds an instrument like a speaking trumpet to their mouth, allowing them to speak clearly into the wire. Another instrument is placed near the ear to receive the voice from the other person.

These instruments, the mouthpiece and ear devices, connect to the wire at a short distance from the person using them. The ear devices are curved, like a clock glass, and fit around the ears, making them comfortable. The goal is to clearly hear the person at the other end of the telegraph.

To get attention, the person on the other end of the line can be warned using an electric telegraph signal or a series of signals. The equipment and skills needed for this are much simpler than for regular telegraphing.

When my sound telegraph is working, the people using it should be alone in their rooms, and all possible steps should be taken to keep the surroundings quiet. Using the closed mouthpiece and keeping the users in separate rooms helps prevent others from hearing the conversation.

I believe these steps will ensure only the intended people can understand the communication.

It may be possible to have the person sending the message insulated, while the person receiving it is connected to the ground. Or these conditions could be reversed and still work.

The wires and instruments for the mouth and ears must be made of metal and must be good conductors of electricity.

I claim my invention, and I want it to be considered as such for all purposes of this notice:

The new invention described in detail, including all its parts and combinations.

More specifically, I claim:

• A continuous sound conductor that is electrically insulated.
• The same conductor used for telegraphing by sound or for conversations between distant people who are electrically insulated.
• A sound conductor that is also an electrical conductor, used to communicate by sound between distant points.
• The same conductor combined with methods to insulate the people sending and receiving messages.
• A mouthpiece or speaking device used with an electrically insulated conductor.
• Ear devices or receivers that fit over the ears and are used with an electrically insulated sound conductor.
• The complete system, including the electrical and sound conductor, insulated and equipped with a mouthpiece and earpieces at each end, designed to work as described.

In witness of this, I have signed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

Meucci focused on insulating the electrical conductor and the people communicating but did not explain why this was important. The mouthpiece is like a "speaking trumpet" to direct sound onto the wire, but he did not mention converting sound into electrical signals. He described an instrument for the ears but did not explain how electrical signals in the wire would be turned back into sound. In his third claim, he stated that a conductor that carries both sound and electricity could transmit sound better if made of materials like wire or metal tubes.

Meucci emphasized that the wires and instruments for the mouth and ears "must be metallic," but he did not explain why. He mentioned "communication with the ground" but did not suggest that a connection to the ground was needed to complete a circuit. He described using a single wire between the sender’s mouthpiece and the receiver’s earpiece, with one or both people insulated from the ground using glass insulators.

Robert V. Bruce, who wrote about Alexander Bell, said Meucci’s notice could never have become a patent because it did not describe an electric telephone. According to Bruce, Meucci’s own testimony, as presented by Schiavo, shows that the Italian inventor "did not understand the basic principles of the telephone, either before or several years after Bell patented it."

Other researchers have pointed out problems with Bruce’s account of the telephone’s invention. First, Meucci called his device the "telettrofono," not the "telephone." Bruce’s description of Meucci’s relationship with Dr. Seth R. Beckwith has also been questioned. Beckwith, a former surgeon and manager of the Overland Telephone Company in New York, had learned about telephones and admired Meucci’s work. In 1885, Beckwith became a manager of the Globe Telephone Company, which tried to challenge U.S. Bell’s monopoly. However, Meucci and his lawyer warned Beckwith not to use Meucci’s name for financial gain after Beckwith started a company in New Jersey called the Meucci Telephone Company.

The Globe Telephone Company used Meucci’s notice to challenge the Bell Telephone Company. Their claims were supported by about 30 affidavits, which stated that Meucci had built and used different types of electric telephones.

Telettrofono Company

In 1872, Meucci and his friend Angelo Bertolino visited Edward B. Grant, Vice President of American District Telegraph Co. of New York (not Western Union as sometimes stated), to ask for help. Meucci requested permission to test his device on the company's telegraph lines. He showed Grant a description of his prototype and a copy of his caveat. After waiting two years, Meucci returned to Grant and asked for his documents back, but Grant reportedly said they had been lost.

Around 1873, a man named Bill Carroll from Boston, who had information about Meucci's invention, asked Meucci to build a telephone for divers. This device was meant to allow divers to communicate with people on the surface. In Meucci's drawing, the device was essentially an electromagnetic telephone designed to be waterproof.

On 28 December 1874, Meucci's Telettrofono patent caveat expired. Some people disagree with the claim that Meucci could not afford to file for a patent or renew his caveat. He filed for and received full patents in 1872, 1873, 1875, and 1876, each costing $35, as well as one additional $10 patent caveat, totaling $150, for inventions unrelated to the telephone.

After Bell secured his patents in 1876 and later years, the Bell Telephone Company sued the Globe Telephone Company (and others) for patent infringement. Meucci, who was too poor to hire a legal team, was represented by lawyer Joe Melli, an orphan whom Meucci treated as his own son. While the case American Bell Telephone Company v. Globe Telephone Company, Antonio Meucci, et al. was ongoing, Bell also became involved in The U.S. Government v. American Bell Telephone Company, which was started by the Pan-Electric Telephone Company. This company secretly gave Augustus Hill Garland, the U.S. Attorney General, 10% of its shares, hired him as a director, and then asked him to cancel Bell's patent. If Garland had succeeded, he would have become very wealthy because of his shares.

The Havana experiments were briefly mentioned in a letter by Meucci, published by Il Commercio di Genova on 1 December 1865 and by L'Eco d'Italia on 21 October 1865 (both of which still exist today).

An important piece of evidence in the trial was Meucci's Memorandum Book, which contained his drawings and records from 1862 to 1882. During the trial, Antonio Meucci was accused of creating records after Bell's invention and backdating them. As proof, the prosecutor pointed out that the Rider & Clark company was founded in 1863. Meucci claimed that William E. Rider, one of the owners, had given him a copy of the memorandum book in 1862, but this was not believed.

On 13 January 1887, the United States Government tried to cancel Bell's patent due to fraud and misrepresentation. After many court decisions and changes in rulings, the Bell company won a decision in the Supreme Court, though some original claims from lower court cases remained unresolved. By the time the trial lasted nine years, the U.S. prosecuting attorney had died, and the two Bell patents (No. 174,465 dated 7 March 1876 and No. 186,787 dated 30 January 1877) were no longer active. However, the judges agreed to continue the proceedings because the case was important as a "precedent."

With a change in government and accusations of conflicts of interest on both sides, the U.S. Attorney General ended the lawsuit on 30 November 1897, leaving some issues unresolved. During a deposition for the 1887 trial, Meucci claimed to have built the first working model of a telephone in Italy in 1834. In 1886, Meucci testified as a witness in one of three cases he was involved in, hoping to prove his invention was the first. His evidence was questioned because there was no physical proof of his inventions, as his working models were reportedly lost at the laboratory of American District Telegraph (ADT) in New York. ADT did not merge with Western Union to become its subsidiary until 1901.

Meucci's patent caveat described a "lover's telegraph," which transmitted sound vibrations mechanically across a taut wire. This was also noted in reviews, which stated that the caveat did not describe an electric speaking telephone. The court ruled that Meucci's device was a mechanical telephone with a mouthpiece and an earpiece connected by a wire, and that his other claims were based on imagination. Meucci's work, like many inventors of the time, relied on earlier acoustic principles. Despite evidence of earlier experiments, the final case involving Meucci was dropped after his death.

Death

Meucci became ill in March 1889. He died on October 18, 1889, in Clifton, Staten Island, New York. At that time, Clifton was part of the town of Southfield.

Invention of the telephone

There has been much disagreement about who should be credited as the first inventor of the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell is recognized for being the first person to send clear speech using electrical waves. The Federazione Italiana di Elettrotecnica has created a museum to honor Antonio Meucci, which includes a timeline showing his work on the telephone and the history of legal disputes between Meucci and Bell. This museum supports the claim that Meucci was the true inventor of the telephone. However, some scholars outside Italy do not believe Meucci’s device had a major role in the telephone’s development. Author Tom Farley states: "Most scholars agree that Bell and Watson were the first to send understandable speech using electricity. Others sent sounds like clicks or buzzes, but Bell and Watson were the first to send speech that could be understood."

In 1834, Meucci built a type of acoustic telephone to help communicate between the stage and control room at the "Teatro della Pergola" theater in Florence. This telephone was modeled after pipe-telephones used on ships and still works today.

In 1848, Meucci developed a method to treat rheumatism using electric shocks. He connected two conductors to 60 Bunsen batteries, ending in a cork. He kept two other conductors connected to the same batteries. He sat in his laboratory while the batteries were in a second room and his patients were in a third. In 1849, during a treatment using a 114V electrical discharge, Meucci reportedly heard his patient’s scream through a copper wire between them. He noticed the copper wire vibrated like a leaf on an electroscope, indicating an electrostatic effect. To avoid hurting his patient, he covered the wire with paper and claimed to hear an unspoken human voice. He called this device "telegrafo parlante" (talking telegraph).

Based on this prototype, some say Meucci worked on over 30 types of telephones. Early on, he was inspired by the telegraph. Unlike other telephone pioneers such as Charles Bourseul, Philipp Reis, and Innocenzo Manzetti, Meucci did not use the telegraph key method ("make-and-break") to send voice. Instead, he aimed for a "continuous" solution that kept the electric current flowing without interruption. In 1856, Meucci reportedly built the first electromagnetic telephone, using an electromagnet shaped like a horseshoe, a diaphragm made of animal skin stiffened with potassium dichromate, and a metal disk in the center. The device was placed in a cylindrical carton box and used to connect his bedroom to his basement laboratory so he could speak to his invalid wife.

Meucci separated the directions of signal transmission to avoid the "local effect," a method similar to today’s four-wire-circuit. He created a simple calling system using a telegraphic manipulator that sent short electrical pulses (clicks) louder than normal speech. Knowing his device needed more space than a telegraph, he found ways to reduce the "skin effect" by treating the conductor’s surface or using copper instead of iron.

In 1864, Meucci claimed to have built his best device, using an iron diaphragm with a specific thickness and tightly sealed along its edges. The instrument was placed in a shaving-soap box, with the cover holding the diaphragm. In August 1870, Meucci reportedly transmitted clear human speech over a mile using a copper wire insulated with cotton. He called this device "telettrofono." Drawings and notes from September 27, 1870, show Meucci understood inductive loading for long-distance telephone lines 30 years before other scientists. The question of whether Bell invented the telephone is one of the most debated facts in U.S. history, with Bell’s patents defended in about 600 legal cases. Meucci was involved in the case "American Bell Telephone Co. v. Globe Telephone Co. and others" (31 Fed. Rep. 729).

In his book History of the Telephone, Herbert Newton Casson wrote:
"Judge Wallace's ruling was criticized by historian Giovanni Schiavo as unfair."

In 2002, U.S. Representative Vito Fossella (R-NY), with help from Italian-American groups, led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a resolution (HRes. 269) recognizing Meucci’s contributions to the telephone’s invention. The resolution stated: "Antonio Meucci’s life and achievements should be recognized, and his work in the invention of the telephone should be acknowledged." It noted that if Meucci had paid a $10 fee to keep his patent record active after 1874, Bell could not have received a patent. The resolution’s sponsor called it "a message recognizing the true inventor of the telephone, Antonio Meucci."

News reports in 2002 mentioned that the resolution claimed Meucci’s "telettrofono," demonstrated in New York in 1860, made him the inventor of the telephone instead of Bell, who received a patent 16 years later. A similar resolution was proposed in the U.S. Senate, but no vote was held.

Despite the House resolution, some argue it does not directly claim Meucci invented the telephone, only that he contributed to its invention. Ten days after the resolution, Canada’s House of Commons passed a motion stating Alexander Graham Bell was the inventor of the telephone. The Italian newspaper La Repubblica praised the U.S. vote as a long-overdue recognition of Meucci’s work.

Garibaldi–Meucci Museum

The Order of the Sons of Italy in America has a museum called the Garibaldi–Meucci Museum on Staten Island. The museum is in a house built in 1840, bought by Meucci in 1850, and rented to Giuseppe Garibaldi from 1850 to 1854. The museum shows Meucci's models, drawings, and pictures that relate to his life.

Other inventions

This list is also taken from Basilio Catania's historical reconstruction.

• 1825 A new chemical for better fireworks
• 1834 In Florence's Teatro della Pergola, a "pipe telephone" was used to send messages from the stage to a trellis structure eighteen meters above the stage.
• 1840 Better filters and chemical methods for cleaning water in Havana, Cuba.
• 1844 The first electroplating factory in the Americas was built in Havana, Cuba. Before this, items to be electroplated were sent to Paris.
• 1846 A new tool for electrotherapy, with a pulsed current and a rotating cross.
• 1847 The Tacón Theater in Havana was rebuilt after a hurricane. Meucci designed a new roof and ventilation system to prevent damage in future storms.
• 1848 Astronomical observations using a marine telescope costing $280.
• 1849 A chemical method to preserve bodies of immigrants for transport to Europe, to prevent decay during long sea journeys.
• 1849 The first invention of electrical speech transmission.
• 1850–1851 The first stearic candle factory in the Americas was built in Clifton, New York.
• 1855 Celestas with crystal bars instead of steel, and pianos (one is displayed at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in Rosebank, New York).
• 1856 The first lager beer factory in Staten Island, the Clifton Brewery, in Clifton, New York.
• 1858–1860 Invention of paraffin candles, U.S. patent 22,739 for a candle mold and U.S. patent 30,180 for a device to finish the candles.
• 1860 The first paraffin candle factory in the world, the New York Paraffine Candle Co., was built in Clifton, New York, and later moved to Stapleton, New York. It produced over 1,000 candles daily.
• 1860 Experiments using dry batteries for electrical transportation and industrial uses.
• 1860 A process to change red corals to pink, as requested by Enrico Bendelari, a New York merchant.
• 1862 U.S. patent 36,192 for a kerosene lamp that produces a bright flame without smoke, using electricity from two thin platinum plates.
• 1862–1863 Processes to treat and bleach oil or kerosene for 185 types of paint oil, U.S. patent 36,419 and U.S. patent 38,714. "Antonio Meucci Patent Oil" was sold by Rider & Clark Co. in New York and exported to Europe.
• 1864 New, more powerful ammunition for guns and cannons, proposed to the U.S. army and General Giuseppe Garibaldi.
• 1864–1865 Processes to make paper pulp from wood or plants, U.S. patent 44,735, U.S. patent 47,068, and U.S. patent 53,165. Associated Press was interested in using this method, which also recovered waste liquid.
• 1865 A process to make wicks from plant fibers, U.S. patent 46,607.
• 1867 A paper factory, the "Perth Amboy Fiber Co.," was built in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Paper pulp was made from marsh grass or wood, and the factory recycled waste paper.
• 1871 U.S. patent 122,478 for "Effervescent Drinks," a fruit-vitamin drink Meucci used during his recovery from injuries caused by a ferry explosion.
• 1871 A patent caveat (not a patent) for a telephone device was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in December.
• 1873 U.S. patent 142,071 for "Sauce for Food." This invention is said to have predicted modern food technology.
• 1873 Design of a screw steamer for canal navigation.
• 1874 A process for refining crude oil (caveat).
• 1875 A filter for tea or coffee, similar to those in modern coffee machines.
• 1875 A household tool (description not available) that was inexpensive and easy to sell.
• 1875 U.S. patent 168,273 for a "Lactometer," a tool to test milk for impurities. This invention was fifteen years ahead of the Babcock test.
• 1875 Meucci made several aneroid barometers of different shapes for Giuseppe Tagliabue, a Brooklyn instrument maker.
• 1875 Meucci chose not to renew his telephone caveat, allowing Bell to get a patent.
• 1876 U.S. patent 183,062 for a "Hygrometer," an improved version of the popular hair-hygrometer. Meucci started a small factory in Staten Island to make these devices.
• 1878 A method to reduce noise on elevated railways, a common problem in New York at the time.
• 1878 A process to make decorative paraffin candles for Christmas trees.
• 1880 A U.S. patent application for "Wire for Electrical Purposes."
• 1881 A process to make postage and revenue stamps.
• 1883 U.S. patent 279,492 for "Plastic Paste," a strong material suitable for billiard balls.

U.S. patent images in TIFF format

• U.S. patent 22,739 1859 – Candle mold
• U.S. patent 30,180 1860 – Candle mold
• U.S. patent 36,192 1862 – Lamp burner
• U.S. patent 36,419 1862 – Improvement in treating kerosene
• U.S. patent 38,714 1863 – Improvement in preparing hydrocarbon liquid
• U.S. patent 44,735 1864 – Improved process for removing mineral, gummy, and resinous substances from vegetables
• U.S. patent 46,607 1865 – Improved method of making wicks
• U.S. patent 47,068 1865 – Improved process for removing mineral, gummy, and resinous substances from vegetables
• U.S. patent 53,165 1866 – Improved process for making paper-pulp from wood
• U.S. patent 122,478 1872 – Improved method of manufacturing effervescent drinks from fruits
• U.S. patent 142,071 1873 – Improvement in sauces for food
• U.S. patent 168,273 1