One of the most significant inventions of the 19th Century was the telephone. In its earliest days, this incredible invention allowed someone to communicate with a friend in a neighboring city. Today, it helps us keep in touch with friends who live across the globe. The city of Atlanta, in Georgia, was the setting for many of the significant events in the early history of the telephone.

Visit The History of the Telephone in Atlanta and you'll discover that in 1877, the first telephone in Atlanta was not much more than a box with one hole. In order to use this early telephone the caller was directed to 'yell into one hole and then move it to an ear to listen.' A later model of the telephone in Atlanta was called the, "Butter Stamp Phone." It earned the name due to its similarity in shape to a butter stamp. According to the description, it had a handheld device that was used as both the receiver and the transmitter. As the telephone evolved through the decades, the convenience of use and sound quality improved with each version.

The early telephones of Atlanta worked along with the help of a telephone exchange or switchboard. Go to Early Telephone Switchboards and you'll learn that all of the early telephone lines travelled to one location in a city. It was the duty of the switchboard operator stationed at this location to connect the caller with the person he or she wished to talk to. The information goes on to explain that a switchboard was made up of a series of plugs, wires, and a bell to signal the operator of a potential caller. Over the years, the advances in telephone service eventually eliminated the need for this type of switchboard.

In the early years of telephone history, a call to someone in a neighboring city was considered a long distance telephone call. The Long Distance Telephone Call explains that if you wanted to make a phone call to a friend in the next city, you'd pick up the phone and make your request to the operator. You'd then put the phone down and wait as the operator went through several channels. The information indicates that she would first get in touch with the long distance line office. Then, she would speak to the operator in charge of handling long distance calls in your friend's city. Another switchboard in your friend's city would be notified and the operator at that location would ring your friend's telephone. For years, a string of telephone operators and special long distance telephone lines were needed to successfully place a long distance telephone call.

By the middle of the 20th Century technology had advanced to the point where a telephone call could be placed directly, without the help of an operator. Visit The Switching in Telephone History and you'll read that the electronic telephone switching system was a, "matrix to route calls from an origination point to a destination point." It further explains that an advantage of the electronic switching system was its capability of storing telephone numbers which helped improve the efficiency and speed of the entire network of communications. In the 1980s, the electronic switching system was replaced by a digital system of switching which increased the efficiency of network connection even more.

For more information on the history of the telephone and it years of evolution, please visit:

? Samples of Telephones Through History: Look at how the shape, size, and color of the telephone has changed over the years. Informative descriptions accompany the photographs.

? Historical Facts About the Telephone: Read a detailed history of the telephone and the people connected with its development.

? The Inventor of the Telephone: Discover facts about the life of Alexander Bell and his invention of the telephone.

? Facts About the Early Telephone: Learn some unique facts about the evolution of the telephone including how some early telephones were disposed of.

? The Telephone and Its Elements: Study the different parts of the telephone explained in specific detail.

? Telephone Service Established: Learn about the early days of telephone service and the contentious events within its history.

In this era of advanced technology, it's hard to imagine a time when a caller had to shout into a telephone box in order to be heard. More than a century after its invention, the telephone is still evolving and improving. Today, because of the telephone, we have the freedom to travel almost anywhere in the world and still be able to keep in touch with our loved ones.