Only a Boomer can answer all these questions about vintage telephones

You might want to listen to "Pennsylvania 6-5000" for clues.

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Telephone technology has radically changed over our lifetime. When we were kids, the coolest telephone we could imagine owning was shaped like Mickey Mouse. Today, we have folding computer screens.

Boomers can perhaps even remember the time of party lines. You probably had to live through several decades to ace this quiz, too.

See if you can answer all these questions about vintage telephones. We're talking land lines here, kids.

  1. What is this?
    Image: Radio Shack
  2. Which number is the arrow pointing to on a rotary dial?
  3. What is this device made by Ameritech?
  4. Which Elizabeth Taylor movie title is a telephone number?
  5. What is this kind of vintage telephone called?
  6. Why would you call the number 777-FILM?
  7. What is this device?
    Image: Radio Shack
  8. The telephone number "MUrray Hill 5-9975" is what type of telephone number?
  9. Who is this using a car phone in 1958?
  10. Here is an ad for an "Amazing Telephone Breakthrough" — the cordless phone! What year is it from?
    Image: Radio Shack
  11. What did dialing *66 do?
  12. On the West Coast, what would dialing "POPCORN" get you?

Only a Boomer can answer all these questions about vintage telephones

Your Result...

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297 Comments

Alfetta159 7 months ago
One thing they didn't talk about was the dial tone. It was always there when I picked up the phone or receiver as we sometimes called it. Then after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 89, the phones would be silent. We thought they were offline so we would hang up. Turns out you simply had to wait until you got a dial tone and then you could start dialing. I had never been in a situation where demand was so high that I never got a dial tone immediately so I always took it for granted.
RedSamRackham 14 months ago
* In Chicago dialing GOD-1786 got you a recorded political message from "Let Freedom Ring"
GonzoStrangelove 14 months ago
Missed one because of an accidental click. 11/12. Shows that we Gen Xers who grew up in rural areas can do well on this quiz, too.

Probably helps that I worked at a Radio Shack in the '80s ...
bnichols23 23 months ago
Decent quiz, although I do take issue with the claim that Butterfield 8 is a "telephone number." It obviously isn't, being only a phone *exchange*, not an actual number. But we can live with it, I spose. :)
Kergooliewyn 23 months ago
10/12 #6 and #12 got me. I lucky guessed on #9 and #12. You dont need to be a boomer. You just need to know a little about phone styles. phones.
Michael 23 months ago
I'm surprised no Picturephone, a smash hit at Expo 67, and people say at the 1964 NY World's Fair. I did go to the latter, twice, but don't remember Picturephones.
Dayna 23 months ago
9/12 Popcorn? Never heard of it. *66 never used because we always had a rotary phone. Murray Hill never heard of either.
Alfetta159 Dayna 7 months ago
Didn't matter. POP mapped to 767 by way of the three letters on each number rotary or not. While everyone called it POP-CORN, you could dial 767 and any four numbers and get the same connection. So kids would dial POP and their favorite four letter word.
Stardoc 23 months ago
6/12. Didn’t recognize some of those devices.
TheDavBow3 23 months ago
Missed MUrray Hill and *66. Fun quiz
RedSamRackham TheDavBow3 14 months ago
* As "yoots" we learned that we didn't have to dial entire word, just the 1st 2 letters!
RichLorn 23 months ago
10/12
I got a "wrong number" on a couple.
vinman63 23 months ago
I was waiting for lurch to say you rang.
Pacificsun 23 months ago
I loved this Quiz. And did so badly on it. Means I'm not as old as I thought!
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