Sally gives out a school report on less-significant inventions, including roller skating and pizza, alongside Snoopy.
Alexander Graham Bell[]
Linus talks about Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone.
Thomas Edison[]
Peppermint Patty talks about the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Edison, while Marcie talks about another Edison invention, the electric light bulb.
Henry Ford and the Duryea Brothers[]
Charlie Brown gives a report on the first successful automobiles invented by the Duryea Brothers and Henry Ford, as well as the first "horseless carriage" race, in which Lucy and Snoopy compete.
Frank Welker – Alexander Graham Bell/Thomas Edison
Alissa King – Marian Edison
Gregg Berger – Thomas Watson/John Kruesi
Julie Payne – Mrs. Holiday
Notes[]
This is the first Peanuts production to have music composed by David Benoit, who would later start composing for the specials starting with It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown.
Benoit's theme for this special "Wild Kids" (co-written with Don Grusin) appears on Benoit's 1989 album "Urban Daydreams".
Most of the adult voice actors also worked on Garfield and Friends (notably Gregg Berger, Julie Payne, and Frank Welker)
The scene showing the invention of the telephone depicts Alexander Graham Bell saying the first transmitted voice communication – "Mr. Watson, come here, I want you!" – due to having spilled the battery acid needed for the device on his hand. Historians believe this aspect of the story to have been an embellishment, with Bell simply saying the phrase to test if Thomas Watson would understand the message well enough to follow it – indeed, Watson is known to have immediately followed Bell's request.
