Antonio Meucci invented the Teletrofono around 1849 and filed a patent for it in 1871. I know this mostly because it was a big deal in a Soprano's episode.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_telephone might be a good starting point.

See my reply to parent. Reply to sibling: Whoa, I've seen the Sopranos 3 times and never caught that reference.