“The first telephone book was published in New Haven, (Connecticut,) by the New Haven District Telephone Company in February 1878. It was one page long and held fifty names. No numbers were listed, as the operator would connect you.The page was divided into four headings: Residential, Professional, Miscellaneous, and Essential Service listings.” The page measured approximately 5.5”X8.25”.”
“In 1886, Reuben H. Donnelly produced the first Yellow Pages directory featuring business names and phone numbers, categorized by the types of products and services provided.”
Fast forward a hundred years, telephone books were used daily with a good probability of at least one in every house across the globe. With the rise in electronic communication, though, that trend didn’t last.
Many more people are using online searches for telephone numbers and information. For this reason, conventional phone books are ending up, hopefully, in recycling bins instead of landfills.
If you are getting rid of old or unwanted telephone books, please recycle them.
For more information on recyclable items visit www.wasteawaygroup.com.
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Great job you guys! This is true not many of us depend on keeping a telephone directory at home anymore when we have the internet to help us get the info we want and recycling the old phone books is better than keeping them in the attic.
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