It has been said that no means of communication have altered or revolutionized the lives of humankind more than that of the telephone. For most of human history, anything other than a face-to-face conversation was considered long-distance and long-distance communication was especially difficult. The history of the telephone is a fascinating story that spans from Boston to California and beyond. It is a story with many chapters that proves the imagination of man is boundless and that tenacity is a critical component of invention. In the next few pages, we'd like to share a few relatively unknown facts about the telephone's history beginning with, of course, the letter "A".....