It might be hard to believe, but as of 2020, the humble telephone has been around for well over 140 years! That’s over a century of regular calls, long-distance communication, and being able to keep in touch with loved ones, no matter where they are in the world.
So, it’s only natural that, because of the telephone’s global and historical impact and importance, many people choose to mark National Telephone Day on April 25th each and every year!
But if you’ve never celebrated Telephone Day, you might not be entirely sure what to do on such an occasion. Well, don’t worry, we’re going to explain more of exactly what telephone day actually is, and five ways you can get involved in the celebrations to commemorate the creation of such a ground-breaking invention.
What day was the telephone invented?
Just in case you weren’t listening in history class growing up, let’s start by looking at just when the telephone was invented. And for that, we need to turn our gaze back to early March 1876 – March 7th to be precise!
It was on this day that famed inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, was given the patent for the telephone and his world-changing invention was born. However, as you may have noticed, this is not the same official date as was given for Global Telephone Day.
When is National Telephone Day?
Even though Alexander Graham Bell was given his patent for the telephone in March 1876, April 25th was eventually settled on as the day to commemorate such an occasion as a means to celebrate more than the creation of the telephone alone.
In fact, National Telephone Day celebrates many of Bell’s contemporaries, all of whom helped to contribute towards pushing the technological boundaries of the past and bringing us into the future we now live in today.
How to celebrate national telephone day
As Telephone Day is about more than just celebrating Bell and his magnificent invention, there are actually a variety of ways you can honor such an occasion. Below are 5 of our favorite ways to observe National Telephone Day each and every year:
1. Make a telephone call
It might be a favored joke of younger generations, but it is somewhat true that we don’t make nearly as many direct phone calls as we used. After all, texting and messaging is much more convenient, especially if you’re in an environment where you want to keep your conversation private.
However, this April 25th, find the time to phone someone directly, be it over the phone or through video call, to help show them that you do care about speaking with them directly every now and then.
Who knows, it could become a yearly, monthly, or even weekly tradition!
2. Get creative
As Telephone Day is about more than just celebrating the telephone, it’s the perfect opportunity to do a little inventing of your own.
Now, we’re not saying you should sit down and attempt to revolutionize the way we all communicate, but there’s no reason you can’t try your hand at doing something new, be it a little DIY, learning a new language, or picking up a hobby you keep meaning to stick with.
3. Encourage science and learning
Is your child excited about learning more about inventors and scientists? National Telephone Day is the perfect occasion to start encouraging such curiosity by taking a day trip to a museum or reading about their favorite sciency things online.
And if you’re a teacher, then April 25th is the ideal day to really touch on other key inventions besides the telephone, helping your students to learn more about how the modern age came to be.
4. Share pictures of your old phones online
Unless you were born in the mid-2000s, chances are that you have one or two pictures of your old phones lying around – we’d wager some of you still have your old Nokia bricks out of sheer nostalgia.
So, if this is the case, why not share these pictures online on April 25th with the #NationalTelephoneDay so you can reminisce with others about what made old phones so great at the time (and remind those who’ve only ever had smartphones just how lucky they are).
5. Host a telephone-themed party
If you really want to push the boat out on April 25th, then there’s absolutely no reason why you and your friends can’t hold a special Telephone Day-themed party where everyone comes as their favorite historical inventor!
Of course, if you want to really nail the aesthetic, then you’ll need to dig out a few older decorations. Be sure to lay out any old tech you have as decorations and be sure to pick a few trivia and science-based games to get you all thinking.
Using VoiceNation for all your telephone needs
Although the landline is slowly disappearing in the modern day, that in no way means that telephone calls are going anywhere soon. In fact, calling over the phone is still one of the main ways businesses and customers stay in touch with each other.
Of course, this can be quite a busy task, so if you find you don’t have time to pick up every single phone call, then VoiceNation is here to help!
With our trained Virtual Receptionists on hand, you can be sure that all your call needs are met, and our Live Answering Service is ideal for smaller businesses who want to capture every incoming lead.
Get in touch with the VoiceNation team today to learn more about our services, and don’t forget to browse our other information blogs, such as our piece covering the entire history of the telephone.