Science, inventions & engineering
Thomas A. Watson
1854–1934
Massachusetts connection
Salem and Boston
Watson was a skilled mechanic who worked with Alexander Graham Bell. He helped build and test telephone equipment and heard Bell’s words during their famous 1876 experiment in Boston. His role reminds us to look for the partners, makers, and teams behind a famous invention.
You can use your device’s reading tools or read with a partner.
Your turn, historian
Find a detail. Build an idea.
- What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
- What problem did this person investigate? Who else helped make progress?
- What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?
“Thomas A. Watson mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”
Follow the evidence.
This short reading is an original classroom summary. Open the source with your teacher to check details and learn more.
Read the source: loc.gov ↗Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?