Which inventor's earlier contributions to telephony were formally acknowledged by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002?
Answer
Antonio Meucci
Although Alexander Graham Bell achieved the breakthrough for the first working line, historical acknowledgment exists for parallel or preceding efforts by others. Specifically, the contributions of Antonio Meucci received significant, albeit belated, recognition decades after his initial work. This acknowledgment came formally in 2002 when the U.S. House of Representatives recognized Meucci's earlier efforts related to the telephone concept, even though Bell's team was the one that successfully established the first operational line and secured the immediate patent protection.

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