10 Fascinating Facts About Phone Numbers

On the one hand, it’s just a number. On the other hand, there is a history and a system behind phone numbers that you might not know about. Like, why did they start using numbers in the first place?

In the early days of phone service, you’d call the operator and ask to be patched through to a particular line. This system was first questioned in 1879 by Alexander Graham Bell’s friend, Dr. Moses Greeley Parker of Lowell, MA. The town was suffering from an epidemic of measles and the doctor quite sensibly suggested that if the town’s phone operators fell ill, replacement operators would struggle to run the system. Numbers instead of names was seen as a better solution which, as you all know, is the system we still use today.

You’ll also find out how they assign area codes, why 911 is the emergency number in the US, and more. Link -via Bits and Pieces

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867-5309

Tommy Tutone made the phone number 867-5309 {wiki} one that everyone remembers -if they were around in 1982 when the song was a hit. Now that phone number is up for sale, available to someone who lives in the same New York area code. A disc jockey who had the number for years is selling his business and the phone number on eBay. Link to story. Link to auction. -via Fark

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