Step 1: Understand the invention.
The telephone is a device used for transmitting sound over long distances.
Step 2: Identify the inventor.
Alexander Graham Bell is credited with inventing the first practical telephone in 1876.
Step 3: Analyze other options.
Thomas Edison worked on electrical inventions but did not invent the telephone.
Nikola Tesla contributed to electrical engineering.
Albert Einstein was a physicist, not an inventor of communication devices.
Step 4: Conclusion.
Therefore, the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.