His drive to help his deaf mother communicate led to one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. But the telephone was only one of many notable contributions he made to field ranging from medicine to aviation.

Alexander Graham Bell left his mark on the world with the invention of the telephone. But he might have been a footnote in history if not for his lawyer, who filed for the patent a mere two hours before his rival Elisha Gray, who had also unraveled the mysteries of communicating by wire. From his childhood in Scotland and his long struggle to get out from under his father's shadow to the invention of the precursors to the X-ray machine and Iron Lung. Biography traces the life of the famed inventor. Discover how he saved National Geographic from financial ruin and why Helen Keller dedicated her autobiography to him!

Synopsis

They are the innovators who have shaped the course of modern civilization. With brave visions of the future they have not let themselves be contained by the status quo. They are... the inventors. This splendid 5 disc box set chronicle's some of the most influential inventors in history. Sir Alexander Graham Bell pioneered the telephone, Sir Isaac Newton is the father of gravity and modern physics, Henry Ford not only refined the automobile but also introduced the world to the principles of mass production, Thomas Edison produced the world's first light bulb and Bill Gates helped pave the way for the computer's ubiquitous position in modern society. BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL speaks to the experts to bring you inside insights into these remarkable individuals.