Timeline

1876 - Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone.

1893 - Nikola Tesla demonstrates the workings of wireless radio communication.

1896 - Guglielmo Marconi invents the radio.

1973 - Combining telephone and radio technology, Motorola's Martin Cooper invents the first mobile phone that you can carry around.

1983 - The Ameritech company starts the first cell phone network in the United States.

1990s - Cell phones start to get smaller and more popular, using digital technology.