This week in 1878,the very first telephone directory,or as plain folk call them,telephone book,was issued by the District Telephone Co. in New Haven,Conneticut.Apparently there were enough telephones in use 130 years ago in that community to warrant having a phone book printed and distributed-not surprising when you consider the average median income of a resident in New Haven,then or now.Back then very few "regular" people even had a line to hook into,much less the money to have a telephone at home.Phone books kind of went out of vogue in the middle of the 1900's,when you could just ask an operator to look a number up for you at an additional charge.When directory assistance fees went up,(the "allowance" of free 411 calls before you got charged varies from state to state)and the internet was ushered in,people started using online services like 411.com,for FREE,and the formerly lucrative directory assistance line of business suffered losses that led us to the largely automated service we have today.
Amazingly,despite all these changes,the telephone book has survived and today its not just the Baby Bell companies issuing directories.Competition has allowed companies like "Yellow Book" to also provide directories to the public,with an emphasis on "yellow pages" or commerical listings.
Personally,while I prefer a phone book,I often rely on the internet for a number,or if I am in a hurry,I do still call 411-but I insist on having a person to talk to when I call.I always seem to lose any phone book in my house in a sea of familar clutter in the magazine racks.Most libraries also have collections of telephone books from all over the country.
As Steve Martin exclaims in "The Jerk"-"I am SOMEBODY now,I am listed in the phone book!!!"
No comments:
Post a Comment