Telecommunication
The conventional telephone was invented independently by Alexander Bell and Elisha Gray in 1876. Antonio Meucci invented the first device that allowed the electrical transmission of voice over a line in 1849. However Meucci's device was of little practical value because it relied upon the electrophonic effect and thus required users to place the receiver in their mouth to "hear" what was being said. The first commercial telephone services were set-up in 1878 and 1879 on both sides of the Atlantic in the cities of New Haven and London.
Cordless telephone
A jazz musician named Teri Pall invented a version of the cordless phone in 1965 but could not market her invention, as its range caused its radio signals to interfere with aircraft communications. In 1968, she sold her rights to the cordless phone to a manufacturer who modified it for practical use.