Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer who is best known for inventing the first practical telephone. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1847 and emigrated to Canada in 1870. He later moved to the United States and founded the Bell Telephone Company in 1877. He also conducted pioneering work in communication technology, including the invention of the photophone, the metal detector, and the hydrofoil boat. He died in 1922 at the age of 75.