ON THIS DATE, MARCH 10TH, IN 1876…
From that first ever telephone call by Alexander Graham Bell and to this day, the world would never be the same.
“History was made” and “never be the same” are expressions used
with abandon and lack of a sense of precision for trivial things. But when it
comes to the invention of the telephone, this is, if anything, an
understatement.
It started as an almost peripheral function, even as a few
understood way back in 1876 that March 10th was a paradigm shift, a
game changer, a turning point from which nothing in the many ways we interact would
be spared.
It started then and never stopped.
Look at us now, a humanity where many cannot function
without phone in hand.
Even more amazing is that our cell phones allow us to speak with and see people far and wide without a hefty phone bill for long distance calls. The first time I used Skype during a trip to Japan in 2012, it was incredible to stay connected to my husband as though we were in the same room. In a way, we were. Now I use FaceTime and it’s still such a gift to communicate with friends in other countries.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a gift to be able to stay in tough with people we love and care about.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about the phone, but I do appreciate the long-distance benefits of cell phones.
ReplyDeleteI think that, putting aside the matter of positives & negatives, there's little doubt that this invention has *changed* us and continues to. A note-worthy date for humanity🤔
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have a phone in India--letters back and forth from the US took a month. My family still isn't big on talking on the phone. But it's the next best thing to a visit. Amazing invention.
ReplyDeleteThe telephone, electricity, gas-powered engines...how did people live without these things for thousands of years?
ReplyDeleteKaren, there are pockets in our present world where people live without these things. Maybe we can ask them 😹
ReplyDeleteI agree with MirkaK about no long-distance bills. I remember those commercials for long-distance services, and how calling long-distance after a certain hour was cheaper.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly changed everything, and I'm so thankful for it, how it allowed me to keep in touch with faraway family, especially when I lived overseas. Although there is nothing like a real letter, so rare these days.
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