All DBRL libraries will be closed to the public on Friday, March 10 so that staff may have a day of training. However, this doesn’t mean your fun has to stop. Celebrate the day with a bit of history!
Did you know on March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call? He called Tomas Watson, his assistant. Mr. Alexander said “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.” To find out more about this monumental moment, check out americaslibrary.gov.
Want to create your own telephone? You know, the ones with cups and string? If you have never tried them, they are pretty cool and really do transfer sound. All you need is two paper cups and a long piece of string. Simply poke a hole in the bottom on each cup. (You can use cans too, but it makes poking the holes more of a challenge.) Feed the string through, and then tie a knot on each end of the string. Make sure the knots are inside the cups. Now you’re done!
One person talks into their cup while the other listens. The key is to keep the string tight between the two cups, and don’t let it touch anything (like chairs or walls). The sound of your voice will cause vibrations in the cup, witch will transfer to the string and travel to the other cup. Once the vibrations hit the second cup, they will be converted back into sound waves for the listener.
Photo credit: Jeff_Werner Tin Can Phone – Knot via photopin (license)
