when was the telephone invented

The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, who was granted the US patent for the telephone on March 7, 1876. Just three days later, on March 10, 1876, Bell made the first telephone call, famously saying to his assistant Thomas Watson, "Mr. Watson, come here—I want to see you"—which was the first intelligible sentence transmitted by the telephone. Although there were earlier developments and inventions related to telephone-like devices, Bell is credited with the invention primarily because he received the first patent and successfully demonstrated the device's practical use.