Final answer:
Thomas Edison significantly improved telephone technology with his carbon microphone invention in 1878, shaping the modern form of telephones. His collaboration with Western Union led to improvements that were adopted by the Bell Telephone Company, which later became AT&T.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Alva Edison's contributions to technology and industry were truly remarkable. As a visionary inventor, he developed several devices that profoundly changed society. In 1878, Edison invented the carbon microphone, which was utilized in telephones until the 1980s.
This innovative approach to telephony was a significant improvement over earlier designs, and his model of microphone became standard in the industry. However, it was Edison's improvements to the telephone, originally invented by Alexander Graham Bell, that shaped its modern form.
His collaboration with Western Union led to the creation of a telephone that was eventually adopted by the Bell Telephone Company, resulting in the formation of American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T).