It looks like we don't have any summaries for this title yet. Be the first to contribute.
Learn more- In "ANTONIO MEUCCI: THE FATHER OF THE TELEPHONE," a film by Tony De Nonno you will experience the life of Antonio Meucci, the true inventor of the telephone -- and learn how he was denied his rightful place in history. This documentary film takes you on an enlightening journey into the life of the true inventor of the telephone: Antonio Meucci. Mr. De Nonno's film describes Meucci's one-man battle against the Bell Monopoly one of the most powerful and wealthiest monopolies in history. It traces Antonio Meucci's remarkable construction of a fully operational telephone system at his home on Staten Island between the early 1850s and 1871. "The presentation features newspaper, scientific and magazine articles, court testimony and schematic drawings from the period in support of Meucci and not Alexander Graham Bell as the original inventor of the phone. It also included fascinating facts about the fierce competition that ensued over the invention"- Gayle Dewees, Daily News. Antonio Meucci: The Father of the Telephone is the very human story of a man who held a US patent for a speaking telegraph in 1871 -- five years before Alexander Graham Bell received credit and international acclaim for an almost identical device. This film by award-winning documentary filmmaker Tony De Nonno - takes you back to the 19th Century: the Age of Invention, of robber barons, mass immigration, and the growth of monopolies. A time when Civil Wars and quests for independence abounded worldwide. You'll travel with the young Antonio Meucci as he left his native Italy, emigrated to Cuba, and eventually settled in the United States- and follow his more than 20-year devotion to refining and perfecting his telephone invention- only to be denied the fame and fortune that should have rightfully been his. Finally, you'll visit Meucci's home in Staten Island, New York - which today is a national landmark; The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum - a national landmark and museum which honors Antonio Meucci and the legendary "hero of two worlds" Giuseppe Garibaldi. This enlightening film shatter the historical myth that prevails in most history books, articles and films- that Alexander Graham Bell had the sole vision to conceive, develop and invent the telephone all on his own. It presents revealing facts that there were more than 38 court cases challenging Bell's telephone invention. In addition to Meucci, the list of those challenging Bell's claim included Thomas Alva Edison and another renowned Age of Invention inventor, Elisha Gray. On February 14, 1876 both Bell and Elisha Gray filed an almost identical telephone patent applications at the US Patent office in Washington, D.C. They were remarkable similar to each other, but especially similar to Antonio Meucci's telephone invention. "The film tells the story of the Italian-American whose work on a telephonic communications device pre-dated that of Alexander Graham Bell. Fate may well have robbed him of the credit and prosperity to which his inventiveness may have entitled him. Eric Mink, NY Daily News. Since his defeat at the hands of the Bell Monopoly- right up to his deathbed in 1889- Antonio Meucci was quoted in numerous newspaper articles, continually proclaiming his faith in the American Justice System and his belief that someday he would be recognized for his priority in the invention of the telephone. "On June 11, 2002, 113 years after his death, the United States House of Representatives in H Resolution 269 finally recognized Antonio Meucci's vast contribution to the invention of the telephone. It stated that if Meucci had been able to pay the $10 fee to maintain his telephone caveat after 1874, no patent could have been issued to Bell." Raanan Geberer, Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content