When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland. My mother was nearly deaf. My father invented Visible Speech, a phonetic alphabet for the deaf. I grew up surrounded by the science of sound. Moved to Canada at 23, then Boston to teach deaf students. That's where I met Thomas Watson. On March 10, 1876: 'Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.' The telephone. Tip: The best inventions come from empathy. I didn't set out to build a telephone. I set out to help deaf people communicate. The telephone was a side effect. Also founded the National Geographic Society. Also worked on hydrofoils. Also pioneered metal detectors -- tried to find the bullet in President Garfield. It didn't work because the bed had metal springs. Always check your assumptions.
Acoustics
Electronics · 45y
Deaf Education
Education · 40y
Electrical Engineering
Electronics · 35y
Public Speaking
Education · 40y
Working replica of the original electromagnetic telephone. Two units connected by wire. Speak into one, listen on the other. The sound quality is terrible by modern standards. But the first time you h...
€12 per_day
Two-hour hands-on session. We'll build a simple acoustic device, learn about frequency, amplitude, resonance, and why your voice sounds different on a recording. Tip: Sound is just vibration. If you u...
€18 per_session
One-on-one tutoring in communication methods for the deaf and hard of hearing. My father's Visible Speech system, basic sign language, lip reading techniques. My mother couldn't hear me speak, but she...
€15 per_session
Eight precision tuning forks covering one full octave. Essential for acoustics experiments, hearing tests, and understanding resonance. Strike one near a piano and watch the matching string vibrate in...
€5 per_day
Small group (max 6). I spent my life studying the human voice -- how it works, how it persuades, how it fails. I'll teach you projection, pacing, and the one trick that separates a good speaker from a...
€20 per_session
Exported from BorrowHood · 2026-03-10