Tag: Telephone

March 10th International Find A Pay Phone Booth Day

March Holidays

Are you feeling a bit nostalgic today? Well, you’re in luck because it’s March 10th, International Find A Pay Phone Booth Day! It’s time to take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the good old days when finding a pay phone booth was as easy as walking around the corner.

Before the advent of cell phones, pay phone booths were an essential means of communication. People would line up to make calls, and you could hear the sound of coins jingling in the background. It was a time when having a conversation with someone was a special event, and hearing their voice was a rare treat.

But let’s be real, when was the last time you actually saw a pay phone booth? Nowadays, they’re a rarity, and if you’re lucky enough to come across one, it’s likely to be filled with cobwebs and dust. But fear not! Today is the day to go on a mission to find a pay phone booth.

Who knows, you might even find one that still has a functioning pay phone. And if you’re feeling really adventurous, you could even try making a call! Just be sure to carry some coins with you, as it’s unlikely that the phone will accept your credit card or mobile payment.

If you’re feeling extra enthusiastic about this nostalgic holiday, why not buy your own phone booth? It might be a little impractical, but it’ll be worth it just to say that you have one.

So, get out there and start your search for a pay phone booth. You never know what kind of memories and adventures you might uncover along the way. Happy International Find A Pay Phone Booth Day!

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September 1st Emma M. Nutt Day

September Holidays

Emma M. Nutt’s first day of work started on September 1st, 1878 as the first female telephone operator. (As far as I know she may have been the first telephone operator ever!) She would go on to provide her service for another 33 years, her work coming to an end before many people in the United States even got a phone! I do not know how many people she served those first few years, my guess would be things were pretty boring from time to time, but there would always be challenges to overcome. So every time you pick up a phone today, think of Emma M. Nutt as she pioneered the telephone service in it’s infancy.

April 25th Telephone Day

April Holidays

April 25th Telephone Day

Here’s a day that would even make Alexander Graham Bell proud as we celebrate the invention of the “Electric Speaking Machine”. Telephones have gone through a lot of changes over the years. From one an operator had to connect you to your party to the cell phone of today. Since it’s invention in 1876 the telephone has become vital to nearly every modern society in the world and who knows, maybe someday we’ll actually get back to using it for what it was intended for!

How to celebrate – Read about the history of the telephone. See if you can find a telephone operator anywhere in the world. Look up the styles of phones over the years.

March 10th International Find A Pay Phone Booth Day

March Holidays

Talk about your endangered species! Telephone booths used be on nearly every corner of every street in every city. Sometimes you could even find them sitting in the middle of nowhere acting like a statue. Today, to find one anywhere is nearly impossible and they probably would cost like 50 bucks a call if you could find one! With the coming of the cell phone, phone booths just are not required anymore. I guess to some degree this is a good thing. Hey, maybe we can start a phone booth zoo where everyone can see what used to be!

How to celebrate – Try and locate a working phone booth. Take pictures of any working phone booth you can find. If you find a phone booth, try making a call from it.

March 10th International Find A Pay Phone Booth Day

March Holidays

Remember back when there was a telephone booth on nearly every corner of a street? I do, but then maybe I am older than most of you. The iconic British red telephone booth was not just something we awed but became a fashion statement in some of the most expensive homes. Today, good luck finding one anywhere. The phone booth was developed by Thomas Doolittle, no relation to Dr. Doolittle, in 1878. He patent the “Cabinet” in 1883 and phones calls were 15 cents each call. At one point that went down to 10 cents each, and then back up to 25 cents each. If it got any higher that would have been after I got my cell phone. Like the Ghost Towns of the Old West, good luck finding a phone booth today!

How to celebrate – Try to get a count of how many public phone booths there are in your town. Get your own phone to decorate with. See how many people you fit in a modern day phone booth. (The record is 25)

September 1st Emma M. Nutt Day

September Holidays

Emma M. Nutt was the first female telephone operator starting her 33 year career in 1878 in Boston, Mass. Yes, that was 1878! It’s amazing how far the use of telephones have come. In fact, finding a telephone operator anymore is nearly impossible, though they do still exist. When asked about the honor she earned as the first female operator her response was simple… “I’m glad my fist name wasn’t Imma”. (Which would obviously make her, Imma Nutt)

How to celebrate – Read more about Emma M. Nutt. Visit a telephone museum. See if you can find an operator. (There may be charges if you do)

March 10th International Find A Pay Phone Booth Day

March Holidays

Get out your binoculars, put on your pith helmet and get out in the wilderness… today is International Find A Pay Phone Booth Day. The phone booth has been put on the endangered species list as they are becoming harder and harder to find. Once called a telephone cabinet, they were featured all over the place… every street corner, on the sides of buildings, sometimes even out in the middle of nowhere – but now, it’s hard to find one. The day was created by Bob Matthews from Rochester, NY in 2018, probably seeing a phone booth in bad shape, lonely and feeling useless along the side of the road.

How to celebrate – Try to find a phone booth. Take pictures of it if you find one. See how many people you can stuff in the phone booth you find.

February 18th National Battery Day

February holidays

Today we celebrate the battery. Invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800 it was then called the Voltaic Pile. Benjamin Franklin, among others, played with the idea of the battery as far back as the mid 1700’s. Some even dabbled with the idea of the battery further back than that. Today we rely on the battery in our cars, telephones and any electrical device we use away from an electric plug. We have not yet perfected the battery but it is getting better. What may have lasted for only a few minutes originally has been improved to last sometimes up to a month with out recharge, a few even longer than that.

How to celebrate – Make a list of all the things you use daily that runs by battery. Remember to recharge those batteries you haven’t charged lately. See how many battery making companies you can name.

September 1st Emma M. Nutt Day

September Holidays

Remember Lily Tomlin’s telephone lady on Saturday Night Live? Well, she was probably based on the first ever female telephone operator, Emma M. Nutt. Her work began on September 1st, 1878 and she continued to operate (Pun intended) for the next 33 years. I am sure it was a wonder when she first started but after 33 years I am pretty sure she was glad to be rid of all those wires and not having to be pleasant constantly to all the rude people she had to speak to. I wonder, however, how many secret phone calls she had the opportunity to listen into! Not that she ever did.

How to celebrate – Visit a telephone museum. Call an operator just for fun. Watch Lily Tomlin’s telephone character on youtube.

March 10th International Find A Pay Phone Booth Day

March Holidays

Good luck finding a telephone booth if you need one. Most of them have been turned into some kind of charging station for cell phones or electric cars… most have just been eliminated. Alexander Graham Bell invented the phone on March 7th, 1876. He made his first call on March 10th, 1876. I wonder if even he could have envisioned where the telephone has gone today. In 1878, Thomas Dolittle, invented the telephone booth which for quite some time was an iconic part of American, and European, landscapes. But like all good things, they come to pass and become a part of history that we far too soon forget.

How to celebrate – Search for a telephone booth. World record for people in a booth is 25, see if you can beat that. Imagine your life without a cellphone.