HERE IS TOMORROW

sir how do you feel now the two of your flying machines have succeeded in staying there one just under gentlemen wait you don't want pictures of me it's Casey Baldwin you want he and my other young associates in the aerial experiment Association built our flying machines but Casey flew them isn't it correct sir that your two planes are the first to fly before the American public young man just because the Wright brothers didn't invite the Preston public to witness their flights and we did there's no reason to lessen their achievement they were the first to fly and in America we were the next it's that simple then you're a flying machine is just a copy of the right not quite in fact in some ways considerably different with several major innovations for example that we call it the aileron would you work the controls please aileron mr. Baldwin what's that a hinged wingtip designed to give the pilot better lateral control and stability the idea started with mr. Bell he was also the first to suggest that steerable wheeled undercarriage in the covered cockpit and here it is gentlemen the steerable three-wheeled undercarriage makes for safer takeoffs and landings mark my words gentlemen the aileron the covered cockpit and the steerable three-wheeled undercarriage will come into general use my name's not Alexander Graham Bell [Music] yes that was his name Alexander Graham Bell inventor of the telephone of course but he was much much more that is our story [Music] we'll begin our story here on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia in the village of the deck of course the bay from the deck is the home still standing where Alexander Graham Bell spent the summers of his mature life it was here on these grounds in this workshop that many of his inventions his creative concepts were born such as a kite a strange pastime for a man in his 50s why am i flying a kite sounds crazy but someday men will fly over the earth at enormous speeds hundreds of miles an hour that's why I experiment with kites so that when I build my powered flying machine and I shall it will be safe strong and predictable stay up there kite the deck as in bells day quiet picturesque there are among the villages people who have a century ago worked for and with bell on his inventions his conceptions they remember and love him but so does the entire village in fact the people in government of all Canada have honored him with his national shrine at Vedic the Alexander Graham Bell Museum the inventor is a man who looks around upon the world and is not contented with things as they are he wants to improve whatever he sees he wants to benefit the world in the Bell Museum we see many of the results of that creative urge the bits and pieces that span the lifetime of a genius the working models of a huge kites one of which was designed to carry a man aloft and did an early bail attempt at designing a flying machine and from that paper doodling this a model of the silver dot one of four successful planes developed by Bell and his associates in 1908 and 1909 the famous silver dot itself not really but an actual full-scale replica built in flown over frozen detect day in February 1959 as a tribute to bell and his aerial experiment Association a great attribute this mark my words gentlemen the aileron the steerable wheeled undercarriage and the covered cockpit will come into general use my name is not Alexander Graham Bela's compulsion to improve to benefit was never greater than when he was deeply touched by a human need there was that time when Bell been in his thirties having lost an infant son as a result of a lung ailment asked himself why why must a child die when suddenly he finds it difficult to breathe they answer a vacuum jacket connected to a bellows which one operated would help a person with failing lungs to inhale and exhale today's iron lung employs the basic principle of Bell's primitive a curing jacket even today this Bell invention seems ahead of its time [Music] hydrofoil the year 1919 that hydrofoil craft invented and designed by 72 year-old Bell is traveling at 71 miles an hour in this historic newsreel shot Bell's brilliant hydrofoil concept was considered a major key to solving mass transportation problems of the 21st century exhibits in this museum displaying Bell's probing mind seemed unlimited a device to transmit speech on a beam of light his radium process for the treatment of cancer his theory of the helicopter of jet propulsion his work on desalinization air-conditioning and sonar Bell and Baddeck really do stagger the imagination Washington DC these were the simple words that scottish-born Alexander Graham Bell asked to be his epitaph citizen of the United States of America it was here in this house in Washington that he and his wife Mabel came to live after the telephone had won him worldwide fame his Washington years were happy is but there was also tragedy [Music] thirty-four-year-old bail already accepted as one of the world's leading scientists came to the White House with a device which he had developed in the hope of locating the assassin's bullet and saving the president's life dr. I feel sure my telephone probe will work we will find the bullet he'll probe is untried untested perhaps dangerous you yourself have said that unless we locate the bullet the president will die we have no choice go ahead mr. Miller and God be with us [Music] president died despite those efforts yet Bell's device or forerunner of x-ray later became an important tool in surgery and due to it many lives were saved in the nation's capital the original home of the Smithsonian Institution established in the words of its founder for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men among its exhibits of America's creative genius McCormick's Reaper Davenport's electric motor barrels telephone Edison's incandescent light Edison's phonograph and here another phonograph this one the brainchild of Alexander Graham Bell and two associates improvements on Tom Edison's phonograph mr. Bell my advice to you and your good associates is to forget it would be unfortunate mr. Edison's Phonographic concept is so tremendous agreed but it's been ten years since its invention even mr. Edison himself abandoned the fool thing calling it nothing but an impractical toy it's dead forgotten mr. Edison's phonograph mustn't be allowed to die it can bring great music to people all over the world music Oh mr. bell it swaps it need not here's why mr. Edison uses a tin foil cylinder ours is made of wax his recording needle is rigid ours is a floating stylus his phonograph has to be revolved by hand ours revolves by motor or foot pedal result a constant speed and therefore more faithful reproduction maybe you have something please judge for yourself soon wealthy manufacturer Jesse Lippincott who liked what he heard bought the Bell patents for $200,000 combine these with Edison's and launch the record industry the spell help to bring musical pleasure through the years to all who could hear and ironically by donating his entire proceeds from the sales of the Alex the Graham Bell Association for the death bell brought new hope to those who could not hear today this association known also as the Volta Bureau has become a worldwide Centre for the teaching of speech to the Deaf especially the young wheredid bells dedication to those who could not hear come from and what would it have to do with the telephone perhaps the answer can be found in this farmhouse in Brantford Ontario maintained today by Canada as a memorial to the inventor of the telephone who at the age of 22 given one year to live by doctors had been brought here from his native Scotland by his father and his near death mother their hope to save alec from tuberculosis time one year hard work in the fields and rest in the invigorating air of the new world had so far proven the doctors wrong good morning father good morning son mother beautiful day beautiful day mother we've been waiting Alec have you made up your mind yes Father I'm going to Boston my boy I'm so happy I knew you jump at the chance tell your mother [Music] I'm going to Boston mother to lecture in father's place I'm going to prove that the Deaf are not mute that they can be taught to speak [Music] the Clarke School for the Deaf Northampton Massachusetts today it's 25 acres of campus it's technology matched by its dedication has made it an outstanding school of its kind in 1871 young 24-year old Bell fresh from Canada had taught at the Clark School as he had earlier in that year here at the Boston School for the Deaf oh say Oh No [Music] watch my lips and feel my throat go on say you're very good you've all made me very happy see you tomorrow oh pardon me I didn't see you there we saw you at work professor Bell that was mr. Jacob Warren's daughter wasn't it yes Moore born deaf they tell me she's never spoken a word in her life she'll be prattling with the best of them I'm sure you're right sir oh I'm I'm Thomas Sanders my mother and my son Georgie hello Georgie see that he's never heard a word never spoken a word I'm asking you to give him private lessons I've never tried to instruct a child that young but I know sir your your income is pitifully small if you will help my son believe me I can help you I'll help your son because he's deaf salem today important in the story of America with its mementos of pilgrims witchcraft Nathaniel Hawthorne and his famous house of seven gables salem is important too in our story mrs. mary sanders Georgie's grandmother made her a home here at her invitation financially pressed Alec Bale came here to live from here he commuted to his Boston speech classes struggled to teach a deaf child to utter his first word and spent long hours in this basement workshop which mrs. Sanders had turned over to him you can up all night again I've been working on that contraption what is it well it could be a harmonic Telegraph your breakfast is getting cold let me explain you know how slow the Telegraph is but with messages crossing the wire one at a time but what happens in case of an emergency you'll be an emergency if you can't get some sleep look you see how this for cost the other fork to vibrate now if I strike these two forks to other Forks will vibrate simultaneously see that's why I think I could send to ten who knows how many messages over one telegraph wire at the same time [Music] RCB young man you're working yourself too hard if you have ideas go out and hire some help on what I earn eat your breakfast [Music] good afternoon mr. bell [Music] [Music] I [Applause] I love you too come along Georgie your father's here to talk to professor yeah you wanted to talk to me sir mm-hmm oh yes yes I I hear you're staying up all night getting no sleep mr. Sanders I admit I've been working on an experiment but if you think that I would let Georgie's lesson suffer let me assure you you don't have to he said Papa I love you so you need technical help pirate I'll pay and if you wish champion as a partner but you don't even know what I've been working on you believe in it that's enough for me [Music] Cambridge home of Harvard University and nearby the Craigie house George Washington's headquarters in 1776 where later Longfellow penned is immortal visits and down Brattle Street from the crazy house the home of the wealthy and socially prominent Gardner Hubbard's [Music] their deaf daughter Mabel profession and speech and lip-reading for a while attended Belle's speech classes the young professor had become a welcome guest of our home [Music] there you know what I was saying at dinner if I depress the pedal and sing a note the piano comes right back with the same note that's why I'm convinced that my harmonic Telegraph can work it seems to make sense you say yeah Mr Sanders is backing you but I can't take too great advantage of this offer Oh or hire some help but I have enough for you hire all the help you need as of now you got a second Becker you sir if you're right your harmonic Telegraph will revolutionize the industry thank you sir don't thank him let us thank you all of us interested in the Deaf should thank you by the way dear you promised to come and check that list of donations for the Clark School for the Deaf of course dear please excuse us jebel I'm so happy father's going to be associated with you how it's a beautiful night beautiful Boston birthplace of American liberty Old Ironsides Bunker Hill Paul Revere Old North Church and here in a skyscraper of the New Boston in the John F Kennedy government Center another best place that of the telephone to this site once an attic located at 1:09 Court Street Alexander Graham Bell had transferred his workshop from Salem back now by both Sanders and Hubbard yet unemployed and assistant 20 year old Tom Watson Sal number two transmitter something wrong mr. Watson I've got another idea in relation the number two transmitter not even in relation to the harmonic Telegraph it came to me while visiting my parents in Canada whoa mr. Watson if I can make a current of electricity vary in density precisely as the air varies in the production of sound I'm convinced people will be able to talk electrically to each other over a wire speech over a wire it sounds impossible when do we work on it someday we'd better finish the harmonic Telegraph first so the two young men went on with the immediate problem the harmonic Telegraph they tried new methods endless experiments constantly adjusting but constantly frustrated and then one magic afternoon June 2nd 1875 mr. Watson well nothing really the transmitter reads stuck I plucked it like this to pry loose mr. Watson I heard that sound twang on my receiver mr. Watson do it again the same way good news sir it worked twying it went over the receiver twang her harmonic Telegraph is a fact well oh no sir not the harmonic Telegraph this is the speaking telephone the telephone you said you were working on the harmonic Telegraph I was sir this was an accident this twang it's a positive demonstration that sound of voice can be carried over a wire my boy you are a great thinker but unfortunately you're an even greater dreamer this is no dream Mr Sanders and I put our money into the telegraphic conception and that's all this is mr. Bell you will proceed with the Telegraph if you refuse and I hate to say this sir regarding your request for my daughter's hand please forget it what was all that about Mabel I've found it the answer to the speaking telephone and that case father should be happy he isn't [Music] he believes my speaking telephone is a far-fetched dream oh she says that if I go on with it I must give you up it's forcing you to choose between your telephone and me I'll never give you up the telephone could benefit the whole world maple just think what voice to voice communication could mean at long distance think of being able to talk from home to home from business to business being able to speak immediately to the fire department's police stations hospitals who tormented Alec whatever happens you must not give up your telephone [Music] encouraged by Mabel Bell with Watson worked on mr. bell did you hear me mr. bell I heard something sound still no words but sound was there they could be no stopping now even mr. Hubbard was convinced Bell moved his workshop to his living quarters at Exeter place Boston March 10 1876 around midnight ready I guess it'll be another disappointment remember there's sulfuric acid never water be careful you heard what I said distinctly mr. Watson come here I want you the telephone had spoken a new era in communications and began in this his adopted City with its many monuments statues memorials is there one honoring his name it could be this the home of the National Geographic Society Bell was its co-founder its second president four years chairman of its board of directors and the original guiding force of its magazine yet more than marble and stone a monument can be people the effect of one man's life on other people this then is parallels monument the influence of his life on people a globe over people whose lives have been made better through his creative work in communications people especially the young who cannot hear but who can speak and of course the people of the telephone industry their work their dedication brought truly his Monument the people of the local telephone companies the people who make and distribute telephone equipment the people of Bell Laboratories whose job in the image of Bell himself is to improve to invent but the spirit of Bell is not reserved for scientists alone it lives on in the work of all telephone people their guiding force like his two words helpful service his legacy to them improve what one sees benefit the world Alexander Graham Bell Teacher of the deaf inventor of the telephone brilliant scientist aviation pioneer at seventy four he passed on this advice to a group of telephone people the telephone system of today is a blend of thousands of minds and ideas the first telephone also was a blend of many mind no invention really can belong to one mind alone sometimes the junior scientist fixes me with a jaundiced eye and charges everything is invented finished to this I say to you so long as man suffers and wants and wanders Sciences work is hardly big gone no doubt some young scientist at this moment is dreaming a dream writing an equation which would in your lifetimes will tap some source of universal power and dwarfed all our engines of dynamos so don't keep forever on the public road going only where others have gone the beaten path occasionally and died into the woods you will be certain to find something you've never seen before follow it up explore all around it one discovery will lead to another and before you know it you will have something worth thinking about to occup your mind now young gentlemen I toss you a final word do not neglect those obscure corners where man works to discover the unknown tangible for here is dawn coming up here is tomorrow [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]