Brad Lewis Kept His Son Safe As They Both Fell Off A Balcony
Today in 2018, a dad in Sydney, Australia saw his kid in danger and put himself on the line to make sure that kid was safe. Here's his story.
Touch Tone Phones Freed Callers From All That Rotary Dialing
Today in 1963, AT&T launched the first commercial telephone service where customers could use touch-tone devices instead of rotary dial. It started with just two communities in western Pennsylvania, but of course it spread, way way beyond that.
New York City’s 311 System Has Gotten Some Wild Calls Over The Years
This month in 2003, New York City launched its 311 service, a service that has helped residents with a wide range of non-emergency issues… and a few absolute head-scratchers.
Berlin’s Jazz Age Nightclubs Let People Message Each Other Through Pneumatic Tubes
In our time there are lots of apps and other programs that help people who are looking to date. Back in the 1920s, some clubs in Berlin let singles flirt using pneumatic tubes and tableside telephones!
AI Phone Bots Foil Scammers By Wasting Their Time
Some experts are worried AI could undo human civilization, but some of it is trying to help people. Like a project that uses AI phone bots to keep phone scammers from scamming people.
The Wild History Of The White House Telephone
Today in 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes got a phone installed at the White House. It's been used to make landmark deals, shape the course of world events, and even say hi to astronauts on the moon. And Lyndon Johnson infamously used that phone to talk to a tailor.
President Franklin Pierce Got An Acclaimed Author To Write His Campaign Biography
Today in 1804, the birthday of President Franklin Pierce. He's not well known today, but in his time, people learned about the 14th president through a biography written by the acclaimed novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne.
In Rural America, Some People Turned Their Wire Fences Into Phone Lines
Today in 1900 a newspaper in Ohio ran a story about how three towns in Indiana had used fence wire as makeshift telephone lines, at a time when phones were more often found in cities. Some of these ingenious systems ran for decades.
The Undertaker Who Developed Automatic Phone Dialing
Today in 1892 a phone system that made automated calls - no switchboard operator - began operating in Laporte, Indiana. The first automatic dial network happened, as the story goes, because of a business dispute between two undertakers.
The Guy Who Traded A Paper Clip And Ended Up With A House
This week in 2005, Kyle MacDonald of Montreal had a red paperclip. This week in 2006, MacDonald had traded away the paperclip, and, after a few more trades, ended up with a house.