Antonio Meucci (born the April 13rd 1808 with San Frediano close to Florence in Italy, dead the October 18th 1896 with the the United States) is a Italian-American inventor, in particular known for the place of inventor of the Téléphone that some authors assert for him. Its role in the history of the Téléphone was officially recognized in 2001 by the Room of the representatives of the the United States: “ Expressing the judicious off the House off Representative to honor the life and achievements off 19th Century Italian-American inventor Antonio Meucci, and his work in the invention off the telephone. ”. But Alexandre Graham Bell remains recognized like the inventor of the telephone, and there exists on this point no controversy within the community of the historians of the techniques.

Biography

Antonio Meucci studied mechanics before working as technician in various theaters until 1835, year when he moved with Cuba to continue in the theater. He invented a method for galvanizing the metal, which the army in Cuba used then. He also worked during ten years on an effective method of treatment of certain diseases by electric shocks, then, in 1849, imagined the bases of the Téléphone and developed a prototype, of which nothing states however that he functioned. He left in 1850 to New York to promote his inventions, without much success. It is during these years that they built its prototype of telephone, the " Telettrofono".

December 12th 1871 it founded Telettrofono Company with three associated, and on December 28th it protected its invention by a " warning of brevet" , formula renewable, more economic than a patent.

In 1874 it would have returned in liaison with the company Western Union, in the hope to see its developed and marketed prototype, but the company did not take action pursuant. Two years later, in 1876, Bell deposited its patent. Convinced to be itself made steal its invention, Meucci brought a lawsuit to him. The lawsuit lasted until in 1896, date on which the death of Meucci put an end to the procedures, without the paternity of the invention of the telephone being recognized to him.

Today, its name is more generally associated with that of famous the Garibaldi, of which he was the friend starting from 1860.

The controversy of paternity

Until 1989, nobody had never called in question the paternity of Beautiful about the invention of the telephone. This year, Basilio Catania, former managing director of the CSELT (the agency of research and development of the Italian télécoms), discovers work of Antonio Meucci, whereas he is engineer of the theater with Florence.

Basilio Catania then develops a whole theory around a possible spoliation of Meucci by Bell. The apparatus built by Meucci, the " Télettrophone" , would have indeed functioned. It would have in particular carried it out in 1850 to communicate between its office and the room of his wife, paralyzed by crises of Arthrite.

Ten years later, it would have made of it a demonstration with his friend Enrico Bendelari, and the experiment would have been reported by a New Yorkean newspaper of Italian language, Eco d' Italia .

Then came the moment from the making of contact with Edward B. Grant, vice-president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, for a demonstration. It is as from this moment that, according to Catania, spoliation would have started. Grant would have offered to Meucci to use its buildings and to store its material there, and would have asked him to examine the plans of its invention. Once those in its possession, Grant would have systematically pushed back the date of the demonstration.

During two years which followed, Meucci could never carry out its demonstration, and finishes in 1876 by losing its rights on its invention, not being able, by lack of means, to renew the warning of the patent.

It is as during these two years as Bell would have stolen the invention of Meucci, always according to Basilio Catania. This last met indeed ahead that Bell would have worked in the laboratory where Meucci had stored its apparatuses.

In March 1876, Graham Bell deposited the patent of the Téléphone, then tried out its apparatus with the International exhibition of Philadelphia in 1876. Then great success came from London where it installed a telephone with the House of Commons. The protests of Meucci would consequently have been vain, vis-a-vis the richness and with the power growing of Beautiful.

To support this thesis, Catania is also based on work of a board of inquiry whose attention would have been drawn by the complaints of Meucci for illicit agreements: there would have been a secret connection between employees of the office of the patents and the company of Beautiful. And this one had been committed reassigning in Western Union 20% of the benefit of the invention, the telephone.

This controversy of paternity strictly did not receive any echo within the community of the historians of sciences and of the techniques which, when they know it, hold it for quite simply eccentric. It is rather typical of these very many marginal theories which aim at calling into question a great figure of the history to the profit of an ignored hero, and which rest on the idea that there would be a true origin of the great inventions which it would be necessary to reveal, which indicates a certain incomprehension of what is the history of sciences and technology.

But if this controversy is ignored scientific community, she knew a certain echo in the general public, and in particular at the Italian-American community of New York. Hundred fifty years after the arrival of Meucci with Manhattan, this community finally succeeded in convincing Rudolph Giuliani, mayor of New York and itself of Italian ascent, to rehabilitate Meucci by making of May 1st 2000, the Meucci Day . In addition, as it is indicated in the introduction, its role in the history of the Téléphone was officially recognized in 2001 by the Room of the representatives of the the United States. In France, this thesis with also mediatized in 2007 by a journalist, Jean-Baptiste Giraud.

Works of fiction

Antonio Meucci inspired a film and two telefilms:

  • Antonio Meucci , film of Enrico Guazzoni, Italy, 1940;
  • Antonio Beautiful Meucci cittadino toscano contro it monopolio , telefilm of Daniele D' Anza, Italy, 1970;
  • Meucci , telefilm of Fabrizio Costa, Italy, 2005.

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