Texting since the 1800’s?

Posted on 31 August 2009

As I drove home from work today, I was very responsible.

I only sent text messages to my best friend while stopped at red lights. While singing loudly along with the Beatles, I realized how much I appreciate my Blackberry Bold. I love using the QWERTY keyboard rather than being forced to pound out letters from the number pad on a normal cell phone.

It is so annoying to pass the letter you want to type 3 times. Once, before I became a crackberry addict, I was trying to spell ’zipper” on my flip phone and I had to push that dang number ‘9’ about 17 times just to get the word started. Then I nearly had a stroke.

I felt a sense of gratitude that I am now able to text without stroking out.

Suddenly, I wondered why the heck we have numbers on our keypads anyways. I recall these numbers on my rotary phone from when I was very small child. What in the world was the purpose of putting these numbers on the keypad in the first place?

Old, Black Rotary Phone

I decided that Wikipedia would have the answers, but nothing. Just that the letters have been on the phone since 1898.

I suppose Edison was way beyond his time and paved the way for us to become texting maniacs. Or, perhaps he just liked the alphabet. I guess we’ll never know.

I’m just glad he thought of it so I can keep in contact with my friends while stopped at red lights.

Thanks again Thomas!