#394 New York Calling: A History of the Telephone
The Bowery Boys: New York City History
00:00
The Evolution of the Telephone System
In December of 1920, all phone numbers in New York became four digits. Then just 10 years later, 1930, they became five digit numbers with a two-letter prefix to indicate the particular exchange that you were calling. Some of these are really confusing. MU stands for Murray Hill, MU 59975. But then as you progress along the decades, an easier way of calling was developed and that is to say direct caller to caller.
Transcript
Play full episode
