Telephone Timeline: All Events - Telephonearchive.com

Timeline Decade Famous Calls The Network The Business

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Telephone service begins between Tokyo and Yokohama

1890

Western Union carries 55 million telegraph messages per year

Western Union carries 55 million telegraph messages per year

1890

Gray Telephone Pay Station Co. founded

Gray Telephone Pay Station Co. founded

1891

Strowger forms Automatic Electric Company, receives switch patent

1891

First Strowger automatic exchange opens (in LaPorte, Indiana)

First Strowger automatic exchange opens (in LaPorte, Indiana)

1892

First New York to Chicago phone call

First New York to Chicago phone call

1893

First 'common battery' central office (Lexington, Mass.)

First 'common battery' central office (Lexington, Mass.)

1893

Puskas launches Telefon Hírmondó telephone news service

Puskas launches Telefon Hírmondó telephone news service

1893

Bell's patent expires; independent telephone movement begins

Bell's patent expires; independent telephone movement begins

1894

Stromberg and Carlson found Stromberg-Carlson

Alfred Stromberg

1894

GPO takes over UK trunk network from National Telephone

GPO takes over UK trunk network from National Telephone

1896

Columbia Dry Cell Battery introduced, making liquid phone batteries obsolete

Columbia Dry Cell Battery introduced, making liquid phone batteries obsolete

1896

Milo Kellogg founds Kellogg Switchboard and Supply

Milo G. Kellogg

1897

Poulsen invents magnetic recording for telephones

Valdemar Poulsen

1898

NEC founded as Japan's first foreign joint venture

1899

AT&T becomes holding co for American Bell's assets

1899

First Los Angeles Pay Station

First Los Angeles Pay Station

1899

Harry Fuld founds H. Fuld & Co

1899