American ingenuity played a vital role in America's industrialization. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone (Lampard). The social impact of his instrument was unbelievable. In addition to connecting people in a moment's notice, it also brought women into the work force as switchboard operators (Bailey). Another famed inventor of the time was Thomas Edison, who was a gifted thinker and a tireless worker (Bailey). He created such wonderful devices as the phonograph, mimeograph, dictaphone, moving picture, and of course the electric light bulb (Bailey). His light bulb helped create the classic American workaholic, and while people had previously slept an average of nine hours a night, they now slept only seven (Bailey).