Bell believed the photophone's principles were his life's "greatest achievement", telling a reporter shortly before his death that the photophone was "the greatest invention [I have] ever made, greater than the telephone". The photophone was a precursor to the fiber-optic communication systems which achieved popular worldwide usage in the 1980s. Its master patent was issued in December 1880, many decades before the photophone's principles came into popular use. COUNT 5
QSN1 What did Bell call the best thing he ever made? ANS1 The photophone QSN2 Bell thought the photophone was better than what famous invention? ANS2 telephone QSN3 What modern technology takes the next step from the photophone? ANS3 fiber-optic communication QSN4 When was fiber-optics first patented? ANS4 1880 QSN5 In what decade did fiber-optics become widely used? ANS5 1980s