Those 10 trusty numbersīefore there were 10 digits in a phone number (not including country codes), there was an alphanumeric code to designate a phone number. But let’s back up a little bit and look at how we ended up with the phone number we use today. Why has all this innovation stopped? In our opinion, there’s still work to be done. Since then, the phone number has remained static. Neil Papworth, a 22-year old developer and test engineer for Vodafone UK, texted Richard Jarvis: “Merry Christmas.” The text was sent from a computer, but received by Jarvis, a Vodafone executive, at the company holiday party on an Orbitel 901. In fact, the most recent innovation on the phone number took place more than 25 years ago, in 1992. Through it all, one thing hasn’t changed much: the phone number. Not to mention the mobile phone and its more intelligent grandchild, the smartphone. Once the technology was established, telephone companies were started, phone numbers were invented, area codes were designated, switchboard operators were hired, and people connected to emergency services by dialing 911. And for that call, since there were only two phones in existence at the time, he didn’t even have to dial a phone number. The telephone has gone through many iterations and changes since that day in 1876 when Bell made the first phone call to his assistant in the other room. But he probably wouldn’t recognize the devices we carry in our pockets as phones in the first place. So host Terry O'Reilly can record the show wherever he goes.įollow the journey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and search the hashtag: #Terstream.If you told Alexander Graham Bell that one day we would all carry the technology he used to make the first phone call in our pockets, and that we could reach anyone in the world in seconds, he’d be as happy as a kid in a candy shop. Under the Influence is recorded in the Terstream Mobile Recording studio, a 1969 Airstream trailer that's been restored and transformed into a studio on wheels. You can also find us on the CBC Listen app or subscribe to our Podcast. Soon, that heavenly number was creating a problem, so for the DVD release of Bruce Almighty, the movie studio changed the pager number to read 555-0123.įor more stories from Under the Influence, click or tap the play button above to hear the full episode. One of them was a pastor in Wisconsin who would respond to the question "Are you God?" by saying, "No, but I can take a message." That led to a lot of angry people with the number 776-2323 having to deal with those calls. No area code was given, but people started calling the number all over North America to see if God would answer. In that film, God contacts Bruce via his pager. It was called Bruce Almighty, starring Jim Carey as Bruce. While almost all films and TV shows chose fake 555 numbers, one film didn't. A close-up of his phone revealed his number: 555-2368.Īnother famous use of the 555 prefix was on Ghostbusters. In the mid-'70s, the running joke on The Rockford Files was that every episode began with private eye Jim Rockford getting a message on his answering service from someone chasing him for money. Some films as far back as the early '60s used the 555 prefix. So the phone companies reserved 555-0100 through to 555-0199 for fictional use. When movies and TV shows began using phone numbers more frequently in their plot lines, people who actually owned those numbers started to complain that they were getting too many prank phone calls. 555-1212 became the number for directory assistance. So the phone companies kept 555 numbers for internal use only. Not many major cities began with those combination of letters. That worked fine until it came to the "5" key - which corresponded to the letters J, K & L. So the PE of Pennsylvania 6-500 became 73-6-500, as the letter P was found on the "7" key and the letter E was found on the "3" key. Then, over time, the words were replaced with digits that corresponded to the first two letters of the word. For example, you could ask the operator for Pennsylvania 6-500. Phone numbers began with an easily recognized word, followed by numbers. In those days, you needed an operator to complete the call. While watching movies or television shows, you've no doubt noticed that whenever a phone number is used, it begins with 555.ĭecades ago, phone numbers were very different.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |