Final answer:
Alexander Graham Bell, a Professor at Boston University, is credited with the invention of the telephone, patented in 1876. Although he did not invent it in a BU laboratory, his work laid the foundation for the telephone industry and the eventual creation of AT&T.
Step-by-step explanation:
The invention of the telephone is attributed to Alexander Graham Bell, who was awarded the patent in 1876. Bell, who was a Professor at Boston University, created the telephone not in a laboratory at BU but rather through his personal experiments enhanced by his understanding of sound and telegraphy. Despite common misconceptions, it was not a BU laboratory where the telephone was invented. After securing his patent, Bell established the National Bell Telephone Company. Subsequently, Western Union commissioned Thomas Edison to create an improved version of the telephone, which more closely resembled modern devices. Nonetheless, due to the patent held by Bell, Western Union ended up selling Edison's invention to Bell's company, which later evolved into the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T). By 1880, there were 50,000 telephones in the United States, with ownership expanding to 1.35 million by 1900. Bell's patent was amongst the most profitable of its time, and his invention radically altered the landscape of communication.