The great inventor Alexander Graham Bell was born on 3 March 1847. His father was Professor Alexander Melville Bell and his mother was Eliza Grace. Alexander Bell had two brothers, Edward Charles Bell and Melville James Bell. When Alexander was ten years old he begged his father to give him a middle name like his brothers. For his eleventh birthday, Alexander gave him the middle name Graham, in honor of their family friend Alexander Graham. Both of his brothers died of tuberculosis. As a child, young Alexander was very curious about the world around him. His best friend was Ben Herdman. His family ran a mill, which would become the centerpiece of his first invention. One day Bell asked Ben what should be done at the plant. He was told that the grain had to be hulled through a laborious process. When Alexander was 12 years old, he created a homemade device that used rotating shovels and sets of nail brushes, creating a simple wheat hulling machine. It has been put into operation and used stably for several years. As a reward for this machine, Alexander and Ben were allowed to use a small laboratory in which to invent. At a young age Graham learned to play the piano and became the family pianist. Bell also enjoyed performing vocal tricks and ventriloquism, entertaining the Bell's guests whenever they were present. His mother suffered from progressive deafness, which affected Alexander deeply. She learned finger language so she could sit by her side and type conversations silently, so she could still participate in family conversations. Bell's concern about his mother's deafness led him to study acoustics. Bell, like his brothers, was educated by his father at a young age. He was later enrolled at the Royal High School... mid-paper... people in the United States owned telephones. In 1879, the Bell Company acquired Edison's patents for the carbon microphone from Western Union. This made the telephone practical for long distances and it was no longer necessary to shout to be heard at the receiving telephone. Bell is also credited with inventing the metal detector in 1881. The device was quickly put together in an attempt to find the bullet in the body of US President James Garfield. In 1922 Bell died from complications due to diabetes, he also suffered from pernicious anemia. Alexander Graham Bell was an extraordinary person and changed the world forever. Works Cited "Alexander Graham Bell". Alexander Graham Bell. Np, nd Web. 26 February 2014. "Biography of Alexander Graham Bell." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television and Web. February 26, 2014. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation and Web. February 27. 2014.