The Telephone Gambit

I recently finished reading "The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret" by Seth Shulman. The author takes the reader through his investigation of who really invented the telephone. Children are taught from an early age that Bell was the inventor of the telephone, but they are never taught about the battle Bell went through to prove he was the true inventor. For those interested in the history of science, I think this is a great read. It also brings to light some of the flaws in the systems of the Patent Office in its early years. As a scientist, I found this aspect of the book quite interesting. Did you know that at one time the U.S. Patent Office required inventors to submit working models of their inventions? Imagine the storage facility they would need today if this practice were still in place.