National Telephone Day: 10 mind-blowing facts and 5 ways to celebrate the occasion

National Telephone Day urges us to celebrate an invention that has created a great impact on today's world

UPDATED APR 25, 2023

Representational photo (Bruno Cantuária, Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels)

Every year April 25, is a special occasion that celebrates National Telephone Day. The invention of the telephone created a great revolution in the way we communicate and connect with one another.

Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone which got transformed into smartphones and video conferencing technologies of today. It plays an important role in shaping society and changing the world. As this is an incredible invention, it is important to appreciate the benefits which it has brought us closer together.

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10 mind-blowing facts about phones

1. Did you know? The first telephone was not electric, it was an acoustic device that used vibrations to transmit sound.

2. In 1993, the first smartphone was introduced by IBM Simon.

3. In 1973, Motorola demonstrated the first mobile phone. It weighed 2.5 pounds and cost $3,995.

4. The first words ever spoken over the telephone were, “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."

A visitor tries out an Apple iPhone 7 on the first day of sales of the new phone at the Berlin Apple store on September 16, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. The new phone comes in two sizes, one with a 4.7 inch display, the other with a 5.5 inch display. — A visitor tries out an Apple iPhone 7 on the first day of sales of the new phone at the Berlin Apple store on September 16, 2016, in Berlin, Germany (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

5. Bell spoke those words to his assistant, Thomas Watson, on March 10, 1876.

6. They were two people who were working on the technology, Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray. So, there was a long legal battle over who actually invented the telephone.

7. The installation of the first public telephone booth was held in 1889 in Hartford, Connecticut.

8. The rotary dial was first introduced in 1891 and was used on the telephone until the 1960s.

9. Touch-tone telephone was first commercially available in 1965. Currently, there are more than 7 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide.

10. In the year 1992, the first text message was sent and got started.

5 ways to celebrate National Telephone Day

1. Make a call to a long-distance contact:

A good reason to call an old acquaintance or relative is the best way to celebrate National Telephone Day.

2. Visit a museum of telephones:

Visit a nearby telephone museum to see some of the historic phones from earlier times. You'll learn something important about the history of modern technology from this encounter.

3. Traces of Telephone:

Read more on the history of the telephone, including how it was created and how it has changed over time.

4. Watch a film or television program about telephones:

Numerous vintage films and television programs, including 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Dial M for Murder', prominently feature telephones.

5. Give a used phone:

Consider giving your old phone to a charity or other group that may make good use of it if you don't use it anymore.