Who invented the telephone?

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. According to Discover Canada: "Alexander Graham Bell — hit on the idea of the telephone at his summer house in Canada."

Bell is one of several Canadian innovators highlighted by Discover Canada. Another celebrated example is Dr. Wilder Penfield, described as "a pioneering brain surgeon at McGill University in Montreal, and was known as 'the greatest living Canadian.'"

The telephone is part of Canada's tradition of invention and discovery — and Bell's connection to Canada is specifically through his summer house, where he conceived the idea.

The telephone changed global communication. Discover Canada uses Bell as an example of how Canada has contributed to world-changing inventions — placing him alongside other figures whose work brought international recognition to Canadian science and engineering.

For new citizens, knowing Bell as the inventor of the telephone — and his Canadian connection — is part of the cultural literacy expected on the citizenship test.