Telephone | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/telephone/RSS feed for TelephoneenFri, 24 Jul 2026 16:00:08 +0000A Brief History of Hold Music, From Early Patents to the Soundtrack of Customer-Service Purgatoryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/a-brief-history-of-hold-music-from-early-patents-to-the-soundtrack-of-customer-service-purgatory-180989185/Sixty years ago, Alfred A. Levy patented his “telephone hold program system.” Little did he know a teenager’s unearthed New Age practice tape would become its enduring anthemFri, 24 Jul 2026 16:00:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/a-brief-history-of-hold-music-from-early-patents-to-the-soundtrack-of-customer-service-purgatory-180989185/Smartphones Might Be Playing a Role in the United States' Declining Birth Rate, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smartphones-might-be-playing-a-role-in-the-united-states-declining-birth-rate-new-research-suggests-180989129/Some economists suspect that the technology's widespread adoption has reduced in-person interactions and increased access to pornography and information on birth control, leading to less unprotected sexThu, 16 Jul 2026 16:05:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smartphones-might-be-playing-a-role-in-the-united-states-declining-birth-rate-new-research-suggests-180989129/These Ten Remarkable Objects From the Smithsonian Collections Make the Case for America’s Status as the Innovation Nationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-ten-remarkable-objects-from-the-smithsonian-collections-make-the-case-for-americas-status-as-the-innovation-nation-180988874/An encouragement for invention was written right into the Constitution, and whatever the task at hand, someone is always up for the challengeTue, 09 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-ten-remarkable-objects-from-the-smithsonian-collections-make-the-case-for-americas-status-as-the-innovation-nation-180988874/Dial Up the Story of the First 911 Call, Which Was Placed on This Day in 1968https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dial-up-the-story-of-the-first-911-call-which-was-placed-on-this-day-in-1968-180985980/Before the birth of the central emergency number, some rural Americans resorted to fireworks and loud noises to attract assistanceSun, 16 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dial-up-the-story-of-the-first-911-call-which-was-placed-on-this-day-in-1968-180985980/If You're Nostalgic for Nokia, See the Devices That Defined ’90s Cellphone Design in a New Online Archivehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/if-youre-nostalgic-for-nokia-see-the-devices-that-defined-90s-cellphone-design-in-a-new-online-archive-180985667/The iconic brand's mobile phones were pop culture mainstays. Soon, a new online archive will bring together thousands of documents, early models and design conceptsMon, 16 Dec 2024 16:43:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/if-youre-nostalgic-for-nokia-see-the-devices-that-defined-90s-cellphone-design-in-a-new-online-archive-180985667/Crews Remove Miles of Abandoned, Lead-Coated Telephone Cables From the Bottom of Lake Tahoehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/crews-remove-miles-of-abandoned-lead-coated-telephone-cables-from-the-bottom-of-lake-tahoe-180985544/The cables have been resting on the lakebed for decades, raising fears from environmentalists and residents about possible lead contaminationTue, 26 Nov 2024 21:34:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/crews-remove-miles-of-abandoned-lead-coated-telephone-cables-from-the-bottom-of-lake-tahoe-180985544/Hurricane Helene Shutters 'Critical' Quartz Mines That Power the World's Electronics, Solar Panels and A.I.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hurricane-helene-shutters-critical-quartz-mines-that-power-the-worlds-electronics-solar-panels-and-ai-180985187/The small town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, is one of the only sources of high-purity quartz on Earth, but it has been left battered by the storm's heavy rainsThu, 03 Oct 2024 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hurricane-helene-shutters-critical-quartz-mines-that-power-the-worlds-electronics-solar-panels-and-ai-180985187/Call Oregon's Poetry Hotline to Hear a New Poem Every Day This Monthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oregon-has-a-hotline-with-a-daily-poem-for-national-poetry-month-180984193/The hotline, created by the state's poet laureate, has already received thousands of callersMon, 22 Apr 2024 15:35:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oregon-has-a-hotline-with-a-daily-poem-for-national-poetry-month-180984193/The Smithsonian Will Restore Hundreds of the World's Oldest Sound Recordingshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smithsonian-will-restore-nearly-300-never-before-heard-recordings-by-alexander-graham-bell-180981440/They were made by Alexander Graham Bell and his fellow researchers between 1881 and 1892Fri, 13 Jan 2023 18:20:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smithsonian-will-restore-nearly-300-never-before-heard-recordings-by-alexander-graham-bell-180981440/One of the Last Pay Phones in New York City Moves to a Museumhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-the-last-payphones-in-new-york-city-moves-to-a-museum-180980286/Located in Times Square until last month, the pay phone is now on display at the Museum of the City of New YorkWed, 22 Jun 2022 14:55:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-the-last-payphones-in-new-york-city-moves-to-a-museum-180980286/