Original: Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci ( ; April 13 , 1808 -- October 18 , 1889 ) was a compatriot of Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi , and an inventor , best known for developing a voice communication apparatus which several sources credit as the first telephone .
Simplified: Antonio Meucci ( Florence , April 13 , 1808 â '' October 18 , 1889 ) was an Italian born American inventor . He invented of one of the first types of telephone developed a voice communication apparatus in 1857 .