Multiple choice general knowledge science & technology In which decade was the telephone invented? 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself C Correct answer Explanation Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876, placing the invention in the 1870s decade. The 1850s and 1860s were too early, and by the 1880s the telephone was already being commercially deployed and improved.