First Transcontinental Phone Call: A 100-Year Celebration
The first transcontinental phone call occurred on Jan. 25, 1915. We're celebrating with a walk down telephone memory lane.
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If you think you've got trouble connecting on a conference call today, imagine doing it 100 years ago. The first transcontinental phone call was made on Jan. 25, 1915, and has been a communication tool for businesses ever since.
The historical moment occurred with a four-way call between Alexander Graham Bell in New York; his assistant Thomas Watson in San Francisco; President Woodrow Wilson in Washington; and Theodore Vail, president of American Telephone and Telegraph company (AT&T) in Jekyll Island, Ga. Fittingly, the first words spoken were, "Ahoy! Ahoy! Mr. Watson, are you there? Do you hear me?" And, except for the "Ahoy!" bit, that's pretty much what we all still say at the start of every conference call today.
The first transcontinental telephone call was really quite an achievement. Over 3,400 miles of wire on only three circuits were used to connect New York to San Francisco. There were 130,000 telephone poles and 2,500 tons of copper wire stretched from Bell's ear to Watson's. And this was in 1915, which means few roads and very little in the way of trucks or construction equipment was available to set up the infrastructure for this call. A lot of the work was done with horses and wagons, across sweltering desert, and through freezing winters.
The whole thing was greeted with a little less fanfare than the transcontinental railroad, but it might have actually meant more to the US. There were few things as transformative to society and businesses as the telephone.
[ So you say you're not a phone addict? Read We Literally Can't Live Without Our iPhones. ]
With smartphones and wireless networks, our devices and infrastructure may have changed dramatically, but the telephone's role in society keeps growing. You want more proof? This is what happened at the California Historical Society when the phones used for the call were unpacked for display:
Why didn't Bell think of that?
We're celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first transcontinental call with images of phones through the years -- some of which you may even remember using (though you probably won't want to admit it).
Once you've scrolled through all the photos in this gallery, tell us which were your favorite and why. And if you're feeling nostalgic for a favorite phone design, we want to know about it. Because, let's face it, by now we're all addicted to these things.
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The pole that connected East to West.
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.
You know the roads are bad when the horse has to bail out the truck.
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.
It didn't take long for phones like the Western Electric 200 Series, shown here, to become a normal part of our homes. But why is that woman wearing a plant on her shoulder?
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center
A phone in the bedroom? How scandalous! The Western Electric 300 Series sure does get around.
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center
Why is that girl so happy? Is grandma getting permission for her to have candy? It couldn't happen without the trusty Western Electric 500 Series. Also, everyone always looked so happy to use the phone back then. Nowadays, everyone I see using a phone seems to be scowling.
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center
Such a happy housewife ready to take her husband's important messages using the Western Electric 544 Wall Phone. How can you dial a rotary phone with it hanging at that angle?
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.
After she's done talking on her 1960 Western Electric Princess Phone, she's going to pick up that ukelele and play us a tune. There are three drinks in that picture, but only one person. She's either calling people to come over or she's very thirsty.
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.
Hey look! Touch tone on the Western Electric 1500 Series. Personally, I liked the rotary dial. It gave me time to think between numbers, especially the 9s.
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.
Dude, with a room like that, sporting your Western Electric Trimline, you've got to be wearing your fox hunt outfit.
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.
Is that Shelley Long? That looks like Shelley Long dressed as a member of the Partridge Family. Love the AT&T Scultpure Design telephone. With the receiver on the hook, it must look like Fred Flinstone's lunch pail. Is there something growing on her lamp? Should we be worried?
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.
I don't know what is bigger, her phone or her shoulder pads. This is a vice president of Ameritech (now a part of AT&T) talking on an early cell phone. Doesn't she know it isn't safe to drive and talk on the phone at the same time? We're grateful texting hadn't been invented yet.
Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.
Which of these vintage telephones did you have? I recognized my grandmother's phone and a phone I grew up with. And I always wished for the "Get Smart" shoe phone. Will the phone be more or less important to your life and business in the next 100 years? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
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