1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all were rerunning two episodes today in Troy, the 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: show Hi, I'm Eves and Welcome to This Day in 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: History Class, a show that on covers history one day 4 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: at a time. The day was February seventy six. Alexander 5 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: Graham Bale's lawyer, Marcelis Bailey, filed a patent application titled 6 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 1: Improvement in Telegraphy at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Bell, 7 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: a scientist and inventor, had been working on creating a 8 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: device that could transmit speech electrically for a while, but 9 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: other inventors have been trying their hands at creating a 10 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: telephone too, Particularly engineer Elisha Gray. Gray, a co founder 11 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: of the Western Electric Manufacturing Company, had his attorney file 12 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: a patent caveat for a telephone the same day. A 13 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: patent caveat is a preliminary patent application where an inventor 14 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: basically says, Hey, I've got an invention, but I'm not 15 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,839 Speaker 1: quite ready to send in a full application for it yet. 16 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: Then the inventor gets ninety days to file a normal 17 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: patent application, and a caveat also puts the patent applications 18 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:28,559 Speaker 1: of any similar inventions on hold. For ninety days while 19 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: the caveat holder gets a chance to file a regular application. 20 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: Both Gray and Bail had already used the harmonic telegraph 21 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: to try to transmit speech electrically, but the controversy extends 22 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: beyond which of them actually invented the telephone first. Many 23 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: people were in line for that seat on the throne. 24 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: Whether one inventor stole the other's ideas for the telephone 25 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: is the real mystery of the hour. As the story goes, 26 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: Gray's lawyer filed the caveat called Instruments for Transmitting and 27 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: Receiving Vocal Sounds, a few hours after Bailey filed Bill's 28 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: telephone patent. Bell's patent was the fifth of the day, 29 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: while Gray's was the thirty ninth, so Bill's paperwork went 30 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: through first. But at the time, the Patent office didn't 31 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: record the time of day when inventors filed their patents 32 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: or caveats, and by Gray's account, Gray actually got to 33 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: the office earlier than Bill. But while Gray's caveat went 34 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: to the bottom of the basket and stayed there until 35 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: it was sent to the examiner the next day, Bill's 36 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: filing fee was documented immediately and his application was fast 37 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: tracked to the examiner. Because Bill and Gray's patents were 38 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: so similar, the patent office put Bill's application on hold. 39 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: The office was set to wait until Gray turned in 40 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: his full patent application to start investigating any interferences between 41 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: the two applications and to determine who had invented the 42 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: telephone first. But Gray abandoned his caveat at his lawyer's suggestion, 43 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: so that priority of conception went to Bill, and on 44 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: March three, Bill was granted patent number one and seventy 45 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: four thousand, four hundred and sixty five for his telephone, 46 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: and the patent was officially published on March seven. Three 47 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: days later, Bill successfully used the telephone model he created, 48 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: telling his assistant Thomas Watson, quote, Mr Watson, come here, 49 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: I want to see you. Bill had won the patent 50 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: to the telephone itself and the concept of a telephone system, 51 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: but that's not where the story ended. Over the next decade, 52 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 1: a number of conspiracy theories popped up. There were suspicions 53 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: that Gray had stolen Bill's ideas for the telephone, and 54 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: that Bill might have known about Gray's confidential caveat. The 55 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: trustworthiness of the patent examiner that looked over both inventors 56 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: patents was called into question, and Bell's lawyers were accused 57 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: of fraud and that they had stolen the concept of 58 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: variable resistance from Gray's caveat and put it on Bell's 59 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:25,039 Speaker 1: patent application. A federal government lawsuit was brought against Bill 60 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: on the request of the Pan Electric Telephone Company, which 61 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: had sold shares of its stock to government officials, and 62 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: from there the Pan Electric Telephone Company an Attorney General 63 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: Augustus Garland became embroiled in a scandal. The bail companies 64 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,719 Speaker 1: had to defend their patents in hundreds of cases, but 65 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: Bill never lost. The American Bail Telephone Company was doing 66 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: well and people began to despise the Bill Company's monopoly, 67 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: but it only grew more successful. While Elisha Gray was alive, 68 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,480 Speaker 1: many believed him to be the true inventor of the telephone, 69 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: and some people still maintain that he is, though his 70 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: contributions to the development of the telephone have been totally 71 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:17,039 Speaker 1: overshadowed by Alexander Graham Bale's presence. I'm Eve step Coote 72 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 73 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:23,919 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. We'll see you here in the 74 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: same place tomorrow. Hello everybody, I'm Eaves and you're tuned 75 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: into this day in History Class, a show where we 76 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: travel back in time, one day at a time. The 77 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: day was February nineteen forty nine. Miners in and near 78 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 1: the town of Asbestos, Quebec in Canada and on strike. 79 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,840 Speaker 1: The strike helped lead to the Quiet Revolution, a time 80 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: of political and social turbulence in the province of Quebec 81 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 1: during the nineteen sixties. Asbestos is a silicate mineral used 82 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:18,479 Speaker 1: in fabrics, in fire resistant and insulating materials. Now asbestos 83 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 1: is known to cause cancer and other serious health issues, 84 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: but in nineteen forty nine, people around the world used 85 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: asbestos in common products like home installation, packing materials, brake pads, 86 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: and electrical wiring, and Quebec supplied most of the world's asbestos. 87 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,839 Speaker 1: Asbestos was a mining town in Quebec's eastern townships. The 88 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:46,919 Speaker 1: miners there were demanding higher wages, paid holidays, union participation 89 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: and management of the minds of pension, and company action 90 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: to protect workers against illness caused by asbestos exposure. But 91 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 1: the negotiations that took place between December of nineteen and 92 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,480 Speaker 1: February of nineteen forty nine went nowhere. Both parties were 93 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: required to go to arbitration, but because the government favored 94 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: pro business arbitrators, the miners were sure that arbitration would 95 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: not turn out well for them, so at a general 96 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: assembly of miners on February, the miners decided to go 97 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: on a strike. Early on February fourteenth, the strike began. 98 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: Workers from that fort Mines Quebec also joined the strike. 99 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: The miners were represented by the Canadian Catholic Confederation of Labor, 100 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 1: a group of unions that the Catholic Church established in 101 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: nine to counter the anti clerical and socialist influence of 102 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: international unions. But Marie Duplessy, the premier of Quebec, and 103 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: the conservative Union Nationale party that he led, supported imperialist 104 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: interests and undermined unions. The government declared the strike illegal 105 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 1: and sent provincial police to Asbestos. A Catholic Church largely 106 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: supported the strikers, which was significant because it usually sided 107 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: with Duplessy's government. Joseph Charbonneau, the Archbishop of Montreal, gave 108 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: a speech in which he said that quote the working 109 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: class is the victim of a conspiracy aimed at crushing 110 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: them and when there is a conspiracy to crush the 111 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: working class, it's the church's duty to intervene. He even 112 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 1: called for people to donate to the striker's families, but 113 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 1: Duplessi pushed the church to get the archbishop to resign, 114 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: and Charbonneau ended up becoming a chaplain in Victoria, British Columbia. 115 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: But the John's Manville Company, which owned the mind many 116 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: of the workers were employed at hired replacement workers. The 117 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: strikers set up roadblocks to keep the workers from getting 118 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 1: to the Minds, and the strike became violent. Police attempting 119 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: to break the picket lines attacked strikers with tear gas, 120 00:08:55,320 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: and strikers beat and disarmed police. More heavily armed lease 121 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: were sent into Asbestos and on May six, they arrested 122 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 1: around two hundred people, though most were soon released. Just 123 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 1: over a week later, the union leaders were arrested on 124 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: conspiracy charges. The violence that erupted as part of the 125 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:20,560 Speaker 1: strike's barnered media attention. Archbishop Maurice Roy of Quebec City 126 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: mediated the strike as it dragged on. On July one, 127 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: the strike finally ended when the two sides reached an agreement. 128 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 1: Miners got a wage increase of five cents per hour 129 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 1: rather than the fifteen cents that they wanted, but their 130 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: health and safety demands were not addressed and many of 131 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:43,280 Speaker 1: them did not get their jobs back. Labor unionists Jean Marshaun, 132 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:48,560 Speaker 1: journalists j Rard Peltier, and union activist Pierre Trudeau all 133 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 1: played significant roles in the strike. They eventually transitioned into 134 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:56,319 Speaker 1: political careers and became known as the Three Wise Men. 135 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: The strike marked a turning point in Quebec's his three 136 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 1: and set the stage for the Quiet Revolution, a time 137 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: of rapid change in the province. I'm each deaf code 138 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 139 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. If you'd like to follow us 140 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: on social media, you can do so at T D 141 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: I h C Podcast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If 142 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 1: you prefer something a little bit more formal, then you 143 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 1: can write us at this Day at I heart media 144 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll be 145 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 1: back tomorrow. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit 146 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 147 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.