Hold the Line: Big Moments in Telephony

May/June 2010 [1]

Do you know the history of the telephone?

1876

At age 29, Alexander Graham Bell receives the first patent for a device to “transmit sounds telegraphically.”

1963

AT&T rings in the 10-button touch-tone phone. The * and # symbols aren’t added to keypads until 1968.

1983

Commercial cellular systems begin to appear. Six years later, the first flip phone goes on sale for $3,000.

2009

Users of the Internet call service Skype total 521 million, more than the population of the European Union.

2010

Apple sells its 40 millionth iPhone, three years after the “smart” phone is launched.

This article was first published in May 2010. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.