Who Was Mabel Bell? 10 Things We Know About Alexander Graham Bell's Deaf Wife

Mabel Gardiner Hubbard, who later took the married name Mabel Bell was an American businesswoman and the daughter of Gardiner Greene Hubbard, a lawyer from Boston.

She was married to the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell. At the age of 5, she lost her hearing ability and was rendered deaf for the rest of her life. It is said that Graham Bell undertook the telecommunication experiment to restore her hearing.

Here is a list of 10 things we know about Mabel Bell

1. Mabel Bell (nee Mabel Gardiner Hubbard) was born on Nov 25, 1857, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Close to her fifth birthday in 1862, she suffered a near-fatal bout of scarlet fever, post which she became deaf, permanently and completely. The disease damaged her inner ear's vestibular sensors, because of which she suffered from imbalance and faced difficulty in walking at night.
2. Mabel Bell inspired her father to establish the first oral school for the deaf in the United States. It was called The Clarke School for the Deaf. She received her education in the United States and in Europe. This enabled her to talk and read lip skillfully in various languages.
3. She was one of the first deaf children in the country who was skilled in speaking and lip-reading. It allowed her to integrate completely into the world of hearing. This was something absolutely unknown to those who were hearing-impaired in those days.
4. Mabel was described as "strong and self-assured". She became a student at Alexander Graham Bell's school for the deaf. Later, she evolved into his confidant. They got married on July 11, 1877, when she was only 19 years old and more than 10 years younger than Graham Bell. They had four children together.
5. After Graham Bell died in 1922, Mabel slowly became blind and grew consigned to the care of her daughters. She was gradually withdrawing into a world of darkness.
6. Mabel Bell died of pancreatic cancer at her daughter Marian's home less than a year after her husband's death. They are both buried near their home on "The Point" at their estate of Beinn Bhreagh. It was originally their summer residence.
7. Mabel was extremely intelligent but mostly preferred to stay in the background while her husband conducted scientific discussions and meetings.
8. She strongly believed that a 'heavier-than-air' vehicle could be designed to fly. She provided the financing of a significant amount of $ 20,000 CAD in 1907.
9. Mabel Bell sold some of her real estates and handed over that amount of money to her husband and four others so that they could establish the Aerial Experimental Association, for constructing "a practical flying aerodrome", Canada's first-ever heavier-than-air vehicle, the Silver Dart.
10. In 2018, Mabel Bell was named a National Historic Person. This is partly because she founded AEA (Aerial Experimental Association) and also because she founded social and educational institutions.