Incredible Pictures of Telephone Wires Over New York in the Late 19th Century

Alexander Graham Bell may have invented the telephone in 1875, but the first phone installation didn't come about for another three years. And that's what makes these photos from 1887-1888 so incredible; this tangled mass of telephone wires had already wound itself around New York City's streets just seven years after that first installation.

Instructions on How to Use a Telephone From 1917

When the telephone was first introduced to households and offices, many of the procedures and courtesies that we take for granted weren't intuitive. In fact, a lot of newbie phone users experienced stage fright upon picking up the receiver.

In order to help people adjust to this radical new technology, the 1917 Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company publication "How to Use the Telephone, 1917" is a clear, sensible guide to managing your "delicately adjusted instrument," including useful tips like finishing your calls with "good-bye" so that the other party doesn't suppose that the operator has cut them off.

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