In 1877 Alexander Graham Bell founded the Bell Telephone Company. It was the world's first telephone company and would one day become AT&T. Even though Alexander Graham Bell sold his ownership stake in the company after just a couple of years with the company, AT&T would become the largest telephone company in the company the world. In fact, AT&T grew so large that the United States government spent well over 50 years trying to break up what they believed was a monopoly. They succeeded in their goal. However, 35 years after the break up almost all of the subsidiaries have reunited to rebuild the monopoly of old. AT&T is now almost as big, if not bigger than it was before the monopoly was broken up. This is the story of how AT&T became a monopoly, twice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices