Alexander Graham Bell Preferred “Ahoy” To “Hello”

After the telephone was _________________

, people needed some instructions on how to use it. One concern was how to begin a _________________

on this device. Instead of “Are you here?” or “Are you ready to talk?” Alexander Graham Bell, the now-disputed inventor, suggested the nautical _________________

“Ahoy”. Bell's rival Thomas Edison thought “Hello” was a more _________________

telephone greeting. The writers of the first telephone books sided with Edison, and often included his suggestion in an

page on telephone etiquette. Alexander Graham Bell continued to use “Ahoy” in his telephone conversations for the rest of his life.