On June 11th 2002 the United States House of Representatives righted a wrong that had persisted for over 130 years. They passed a resolution honoring Antonio Meucci, an Italian migrant who lived in Staten Island, for his key contribution to the invention of the telephone. But to this day, his name is still overshadowed by Alexander Graham Bell's.

So who was Meucci and did he really invent the first telephone?

Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci
Born on 13th April 1808 near Florence, Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci was the eldest of nine children. He was a talented student with an inquisitive mind entering Florence's Academy of Fine Arts to study physics, chemistry and mechanical engineering aged just 15. After just two years Meucci was forced to take a part time job working for the Florentine government to fund his studies. This wouldn't be the last time that Meucci's life took a turn due to lack of funds.

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Fonte: L'italo-Americano