A quarter century of transcontinental telephony

AS A TOPIC I have chosen the epoch of transcontinental telephony because it was 25 years ago last July that the first transcontinental circuit carried its first conversation, and it is 25 years ago this January that the first transcontinental line, which consisted of three circuits, was opened for public use. My choice, however, is based upon much more than a mere desire to commemorate a now far-off event, propitious though such a gesture may be. I hope that I can portray this early telephone line for what it was in fact — the progenitor of much that has taken place in the last 25 years in a very active sector of electrical engineering. It marked the dawn of a new era in electrical communication.