U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for January 25

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25: FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL PHONE CALL

Profile America — Friday, January 25th.  On this date in 1915, east and west were linked by voice in the first transcontinental phone call.  This event was a conference call involving Alexander Graham Bell in New York, his assistant Thomas Watson in San Francisco, President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, and the president of American Telephone and Telegraph in Georgia.  Using the new, commercial service was a major financial commitment.  The charge for a three-minute call from New York to San Francisco started at $20.70.  That's over $474 today. Over 97 percent of America's households have phone service.  Users of landline phones pay an average of $434 for a year.  You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Kane's Famous First Facts, 7718
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1148
U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder, Imputation of Telephone Service

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

RELATED LINKS
http://www.census.gov