Innovation: The marriage that almost was: Western Union has always been ridiculed for rejecting the telephone. But what actually happened wasn't so ridiculous after all

The birth of the telephone — one hundred years ago this month — is a fascinating story of the genius and persistence of one man. In addition, it is an instructive demonstration of how an industrial giant, in this case the Western Union Telegraph Co., can miss its chance to foster an industry-creating breakthrough — something that has happened again and again in electronics and other fields.