9 ms·
I'm interested in the coexistence of telegram and telephone; it sounds like they used telephones for local delivery or acceptance of telegram for a while. Was
by rdl 11y ago
I'm interested in the coexistence of telegram and telephone; it sounds like they used telephones for local delivery or acceptance of telegram for a while. Was long distance calling unsuited for cost reasons, or unavailable, or otherwise not desired?
Sort of similar to SMS vs. voice, SMS vs. email (esp on mobile mua), email vs. IM.
- varjag 11y agoLong distance phone cable bandwidth and switching capacity were very very limited.
- lmm 11y agoTelegrams are in writing in a way phones aren't, so they were necessary for e.g. legal notices at least up until the invention of the fax. In India they're still widely used for this reason. Ironically (given the article) people also see them as more formal than a phone call, so in some countries they're traditional for e.g. wedding congratulations.
- jpatokal 11y agoLong-distance phone calls used to be extraordinarily expensive. As late as 1950, a 5-minute phone call from New York to LA cost $3.70, or around $35 in today's money.
- ams6110 11y agoMany households did not have phones until well into the second half of the 20th century.