Alexander Graham Bell by VB.com, the phone, Brazil and the White Pages

Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922)

Alexander Bell (1847 - 1922)

invented the Phone,
Photophone, Hydrofoil, Metal detector,
HD-4, Audiometer,
Tetrahedral kite leading to Airplanes

also discover the website of the young British Technology speaker
Alexander Bell.co

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Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922)
husband of Marbel Gardiner Hubbard / Marbel Bell (1857 - 1923)
father of Elsie Bell / Elsie Hovey Grosvenor (1878 - 1964) Marion Hubbard Bell / Marion Fairchild (1880 - 1962)
grandfather of Melville Bell Grosvenor (1901 - 1982), Mabel H Grosvenor (1905 - 2006)
Graham Farchild (1906 - 1994), Nancy Bell Fairchild (born 1912)

friend of
Casey Baldwin (1882 - 1948), Aimee de Heeren (1903 - 2006)




Inventing the phone

1843 Samuel Fb Morse had invented the telegraph
making it possible to transmit instantenous messages of two distant points.
The invention required hand-delivery of messages between telegraph stations.
Messages cound be only send in one way at a time.
Alexander Graham Bell was working on an idea on improving this way of communication.

phone invention patent
1876 february 14 11h30 am Alexander Graham Bell filed a trademark for the invention of the phone.
It was the 5th trademark application of the day.
1876 february 14 1h30 pm Elisha Grey, another inventor filed a similar trademark (39th trademark application of the day)

1876 march 7 Trademark Patent No. 174,465 granted to Alexander Graham Bell, a 29 years old inventor.

1876 march 10, three days later
"Mr Watson come here I need you"
After years of efforts suddenly was placed the first telephone call
Alexander Graham Bell talking to his assistance Thomas Watson
in his Boston Laboratory


A special connection with Brazil

1876 april Alexander Graham Bell was a teacher for death mutes in Boston.
Dom Pedro II (1825 - 1891), the Emperor of Brazil visiting the United States
came to Boston University and visited Bell's class of deaf-mutes.
The experiance later resulted in the first Brazilian school for deaf-mutes in Rio.


Alexander Graham Bell and Don Pedro
1876 mai 10 Opening of the Centenial Exhibition of Philadelphia Faimont Park.
Alexander Graham Bell presents the phone to Don Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil
The attention Don Pedro gave to Bell's invention was influenced by the fact they had already met at Boston University.

While the Exposition judges initially paid little attention to Bell's invention
the VIP celebrity of the expo's guest of honor, the Brazilian Emperor had a huge marketing impact.
Noticing the attention Don Pedro paid to Bell
the judges changed their mind
and Bell's phone won the gold price,
The price made the invention world famous.




historic Video about Alexander Graham Bell
presenting the phone to Dom Pedro II of Brazil


Video showing the impact of Don Pedro
promoting the invention of the phone
The emperor of Brazil is the first one to make the phone public




Videos in Portugeese and in Japaneese about Bell meeting Dom Pedro






1877 July 9: formation of the Bell Telephone Company.
Don Pedro is the first exterior investor to buy shares.

One of the first telephones in a private residence was installed in Petropolis
in the home of Dom Pedro.
From the first 5 cities where the telephone was used,
4 were in Brazil.



Visiting Paris and Cremerie de Paris



1881 nov Bell travelled to Paris for the Internation Exposition of Electricity
held at the Palais de l'industrie avenue des Champs Elysees.
At the expo he met Werner von Siemens who presented the electric tramway
and Gustave Trouve who presented an electric car.





Paris Les Hallesthe original rue des Halles
Bell stayed at the Hotel Continental on rue de Rivoli, 20 min walking distance from Cremerie de Paris.
At the time the Eiffel Tower did not exist yet
but another spectacular construction attracted every visitor.
The Pavillons Baltard facing Cremerie de Paris.
The Pavillons were imagined by the former Empress Eugenie and constructed all in iron and glass.



The Video shows Paris during the times
Alexander Graham Bell came to visit.

It is not clear if Bell had been inside Cremerie de Paris, at the time a milk store at the foodmarket
but he later described the beauty of Les Halles to Aimée Sotto Maior.
Bell probably did not know about Cremerie de Paris centuries old Telecom History
going back to the year 1671 and the Royal French Postal Services
operated by the Pajot & Rouillé Postmasters exchange partner of and the Thurn & Taxis.



A Summer home in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
Beinn Bhreagh



1885 Bell discovered Baddeck during vacation.
1886 Bell bought land and started building a mansion later completed by a laboratory.
The property was named Beinn Bhreagh which in Gaelic means beautiful mountain
inspired by the Scottish highlands.






Getting old, having young friends, inventing
Alexander Graham BellAlexander Graham Bell
1910s Alexander Graham Bell loved to be with his young friends.
He sponsored their inventions that leaded the patch to airplanes


photo by Alexander Graham Bell
One of the young inventors holding a Tetrahedron Kite, photo by Alexander Graham Bell

Tetrahedron Kite
Observing the flight of a circular Tetrahedral Kite.
Young Aeroplane inventors, on the right you can see Professor Bell.

Casey BaldwinCasey Baldwin
Alexander Graham Bell surrounded by his young friends
first picture: Casey Baldwin, Tom Selfridge, Glenn Curtiss, Alexander Graham Bell, John McCurdy and Augustus Post
second picture: Tom Selfridge, Alexander Graham Bell, Casey Baldwin, John McCurdy

1919 sep 9 hydrofoil craft HD 4, developped by Casey Baldwin and Alexander Graham Bell, reaches a world marine speed record


Meeting Aimée Sotto Maior
Aimee Sotto Maior
1921 young Aimée Sotto Major accompagnied someone from the Braganca family
on a trip to the US East cost. They made an excusion to Nova Scotia, Canada
where they visited Alexander Graham Bell.
Alexander Graham Bell always surrounded by young people
gives Aimée an advise:
"To stay young you need to have young friends"



1891 Don Pedro dies,
but the Braganza family stayed in contact with Bell.


Over a hundred year later the Bell Braganca
connection would have an
impact on a new Telephone product
the Brazilian Whitepages

1998 (eventually 1997 have to verify)
the editor of this article happened to spend a Biarritz summer vacation
with Aimée Sotto Maior / Aimée de Heeren
and Isabelle Orleans Braganca / Countess de Paris (1911 - 2003)



Isabelle was the great-granddaughter of Don Pedro II
(Don Pedros daughter, Isabel Princess Imperial of Brazil
was the mother of Pedro de Alcântara,
the father of Isabelle Orélans Branganca)

Unfortunately at the time he did not know about the connection
between Bell and the Bragancas. It would have been very interesting
to see if Don Pedros great-granddaughter would know anything about him.

Isabelle Orleans Braganza was the mother of Henri Count of Paris (1933 - 2019)
and the stepmother of the lovely Micaela, Countess of Paris.

Does anybody know what happend to the shares Don Pedro
owned in the Bell company ??
They must have turned into a fortune.







Death and Burial
1922 August 2 Bell died from anemia and diabetes at his estate Beinn Bhreagh.
1922 August 4 the funearl was held at his property.
During the funeral all North American telephones stoped working for one minute.
A little over 14 million phones were used at that time.

According to John Wanamaker Leas one of those that carried the coffin was John Wanamaker
the later grandfather in law of the beautiful Brazilian girl Aimée Sotto Major
John Wanamaker (1838 - 1922) was the grandfather of Fernanda Wanamaker Heeren,
Aimées later mother in law.








If ever you wish to visit the grave of Professor Bell
facing his mansion, on the other side of the bay
was established a 10 h large Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site you can visit.
The site is managed by Parks Canada.
Beinn Bhreagh is close to the US border (state of Main)
a 12h drive from Boston and a 15 h drive from New York City.



Bell family
1) Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922)
husband of Marbel Gardiner Hubbard / Marbel Bell (1857 - 1923)

father of
1.1) Elsie Bell / Elsie Hovey Grosvenor (1878 - 1964)
married to Gilbert Grosvenor, editor National Geographic Magazine
1.2) Marion Hubbard Bell / Marion Fairchild also called Daisy (1880 - 1962)
married to David Fairchild, a botanist
1.3) Edward Bell (1881 - 1883)
1.4) Robert Bell (1883 - 1883)

grandfather of
1.1.1) Melville Bell Grosvenor (1901 - 1982)
1.1.2) Gertrude Hubbert Grosvenor (1903 - 1986)
1.1.3) Mabel Harlakenden Grosvenor (1905 - 2006)
1.1.4) Lilian Waters Grosvenor (1907-1985)
1.1.5) Alexander Graham Bell Grosvenor (1909-1915)
1.1.6) Elsie Alexandra Carolyn Grosvenor (1911- 2004)
1.1.7) Gloria Victoria Grosvenor (1918-1972)

1.2.1) Graham Farchild (1906 - 1994)
1.2.2) Nancy Bell Fairchild (born 1912)

great-grandfather of
1.1.1.1) Gilbert Melville Grosvenor (born 1931)
former chairman of National Geographic Society
(3 children)

1.1.1.2) Edwin S Grosvenor (born 1951), editor American Heritage

great-great-grandfather
1.1.1.1.1) 1.1.1.1.2) 1.1.1.1.3)
1.1.1.2.1) Alexander M. Grosvenor
1.1.1.2.2) Stuart C. Grosvenor

more coming soon





Centenary of the phone
centenry of the phone
1976 The US Postal Services issued a stamp for the Telephone Centennial


Bells keeps having an Impact on
his young Brazilian friend
leading to the invention of a new telephone product


Aimée Sotto Maior never forgets the impression Bell had left on her.
She also stays connected to the Braganza family
even though she leaves Brazil in 1938.


Johannes Thurn & Taxiscentenry of the phone
Johannes Thurn und Taxis, son of Maria Ana of Braganza (1899 - 1971)
was part of the Braganza family through his mother.
Maria Ana Braganza was the grandaughter of King Miguel I of Portugal (1802 - 1866)
a cousin of Emperor Don Pedro II of Brazil
This is probably how he met Aimée Sotto Maior / Aimée de Heeren
that had worked as a Brazilian Secret Service Agent in Paris during World War II.
Getting older Aimée loved spending three weeks each december
at the home of Thurn & Taxis in Regensburg, Germany.

Johannes Thurn & Taxis was very smart and educated.
He had a fascination Telecommunications background much older than the Telephone,
going back to the 1290 invention of the Postal Services buy his fathers ancestors.
1700s His 6 x great grandfather Anselm Franz von Thurn & Taxis,
the red man with the Posthorn you see in the Logo of the Whitepages,
came to VB / Cremerie de Paris by horse
to discuss Mail Transportation issues.

1869 The Thurn & Taxis Telecom company was taken way by the state of Prussia
turning into the German PTT.

1980s Johannes had the vision that telephones
- blocked by PTT (Poste Telephone & Telegraph) State monoplies - were full of future.

Like Bell he liked to be in contact with young people.
He met them out of the blue
and just like Alexander Graham Bell
he loved to use a tiny bit of his wealth
and his connections
to push them so they would
make a little sucess story of their own.


Johannes Thurn Taxis
Through Johannes Thurn & Taxis a young student in Paris,
today's editor of VB.com and the Whitepages from many countries
had the chance to meet Aimee Sotto Maior.
It was the same Aimée now called Aimée de Heeren
Alexander Graham Bell had met 65 years before.

1986 june 7 following a party for his 60th birthday,
Thurn & Taxis organised a diner and sat the student next to Aimée.
"I want you to make a good impression on my friend,
she could become a springboard for you."

Aimée on her side followed Alexander Graham Bell's advise
"To stay young you need to have young friends"

The result of the diner was a new friendship that would not come to an end.



Both Thurn & Taxis and Aimée Sotto Major
pushed the student into Telecommunications.
The adventure started with a small repair shop for avant-garde Sony phones
right next to a former Postal Center and Telecom Landmark
the Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon VB / Cremerie de Paris
facing the former Pavillons Baltard Bell had admired when visiting Paris.

Talking to the student Aimée sometimes mentioned a fascinating inventor
she had met when she had the same age.
The inventor loved to be around young people.

The former student always wanted to know the name of the inventor
but he had to wait for 20 years
until august 2006,
a few days before Aimée de Heeren left this World.

The name of the inventor:
Alexander Graham Bell
would have told him and other people
Aimées best kept secret,
her real age ...
decades more ...
something nobody would have beleived


Exept Aimées sister Vera,
nobody from Aimées later life knew about her Bell connection.

As a former World War II Secret Service agent
that stoped Brazil from an alliance with Germany
she knew to keep secrets
and how to change the birthday in her passport ....



Starting the Whitepages Project


Aimee Sotto MaiorAimee Sotto Maior
2005 Aimée Sotto Maior / Aimée de Heeren and Ben Solms at Cybercafe de Paris,
when the idea came up to apply for the Brazilian Whitepages domain.
At that moment 85 years had gone by since she had met Bell ...


Whitepages.fr
2004 mai 26 French Whitepages, Whitepages.fr

Whitepages.com.br
2005 september 26 Brazilian Whitepages, Whitepages.com.br

Whitepages.de
Whitepages.es
Whitepages.ie
Whitepages.in
Whitepages.it
Whitepages.jp
and many more

Alexander Graham Bell would have enjoyed to know
that many of the young people around him
would come up with cool invention, mainly in aviation.

He would probably not have expected that the less technical one of them
the young Aimée that hardly spoke Englisg at the time they met
would one day be a friend of a man that was on the first flight to the moon.
And that she would initiate a new telephone project.
almost a century after they met.

Such things can only happen
if you follow his advise,
to stay young you need to have young friends
helping someone much much younger
to bypass the barriers of time.

In case you have more pictures of Bell and his friends
we could add to this article please contact Cremerie de Paris
mail: b "at" vb.com
or instagram:cremeriedeparis



Connected Articles



AGB Foundation.ca Baddeck Canada

ATT History
Bell Canada

Cremerie de Paris Telecom Hotspot and Meeting Place of the World's most famous Brands
Phone Book of the World, a Telecom Story that started in 1671
Thurn-Taxis.com 730 years of Telecom History
Aimee de Heeren A secret service agent that walked through the entire 20th century


A history of the Telephone by Rod Willerton


The history of the Telephone by CNET