A colle ct ion of dra win gs illust rat i n g ph o n e cal l s t h ro ugh t i m e t h at we re n ʼ’ t exact l y t h e n o r m. T h e se ph o n e cal l s m a y o f c h an ge d h i st o r y, de l i ve re d an im porant message or were sim pl y q uit e ext raordin ar y.
NOT YOUR AV E R A G E PHONE CALL
Alexan de r G rah am B e ll made t h e f irst t e le ph on e call in B o st o n o n M arc h 10 , 1876 t o h i s re se arc h assi st an t , T h o m as Wat so n . M e t aph o r i cal l y, t h e cal l wo ul d so o n be h e ard al l aro un d t h e wo r ld eve n t h o ugh Wat son was o n l y in t h e n ex t ro o m w h e n B e l l sai d t o h i m o n t h e ph o n e : “ M r. Wat so n — co m e h e re — I wan t t o se e yo u.”
T h e cl o se st t h e wo r l d cam e t o n ucl e ar war was i n 19 6 2 , wh en t he Sov ie t U nion placed st rat egic nuclear missiles i n C u b a i n o rd e r t o d e f e n d t h e m s e l ve s a g a i n s t a p o s s i ble US i nvasio n . A t t h e t im e o f t h e cr i sis, t h e Am e r i can s an d t h e Sov ie t s we re bare l y on spe akin g t e r ms. T h e Ame r ican s h ad n ar row l y misse d st ar t in g an all-out n ucle ar war wh e n t h ey n e ar l y de st roye d a Sov ie t subma r i n e t h at wo u l d h a ve l au n c h e d o n e o f t h e war h e ads o n Cuba h ad it be e n h it . On 2 6 t h Oct obe r 19 6 2, A t t or n ey G e n e ral Ro be r t F. Ke n n e dy cal l e d h i s bro t h e r P re si de n t J o h n F. Ke n n e dy an d di scu s s e d pl an s f o r re m ov i n g U S m i s s i l e s f ro m Tu r key a s a p e a c e o f f e r i n g t o t h e S ov i e t s . On h e ar i n g t h e n ews fro m t h e A t t or n ey G e n e ral so o n af t e r t h at conve rsat io n , Ambassador An t o l y D o br y n i n o f t h e S ov i e t s agre e d t o re m ove t h e m i s s i l e s f ro m C u ba an d t h e US f ol lowe d suit , re mov in g t h e i r we apon s in Tu r key a co u pl e o f da y s l at e r.
Af t e r t h e ast ron aut s plan t e d a U.S. f lag on t h e lun ar sur f ace, t h ey spoke wit h Presiden t Ric h ard Nixon t h ro ugh a t e le ph on e -radio t ran sm issio n wh ic h N ixo n calle d " t h e most h ist o r ic ph o n e call eve r made from t h e Wh i t e H o use .� N i xo n o r i gi n al l y h ad a l o n g spe e c h pre pare d t o re ad dur in g t h e ph o n e call, but Fran k B o r man , wh o was at t h e Whit e H ouse as a N ASA liaison dur ing Apollo 11, conv in ce d N ixon t o ke e p h is words br ie f, out o f re s pe ct o f t h e l u n ar l an di n g be i n g Ke n n e d y ' s l e gacy.
S e c u r i t y g u a rd Fra n k W i l l i s m a d e a ve r y f a m o u s p h o n e call in 197 2 . In f act , h is call l e d t o t h e t oppl in g o f t h e US Preside n t an d t h e conv ict ion of doz en s of o t h ers. On e n igh t h e was wo r kin g in t h e Wat e rgat e Co m plex an d n o t ice d t ape o n some doo rs. H e t o o k it of f but wh e n h e l o o ke d agai n an h o u r l at e r t h ey we re t ape d u p again . De ci din g t h at it must be in t r ude r s h e calle d t h e po lice an d se t o f f on e o f t h e bigge st scan dals in US po l i t i c a l h i s t o r y t h a t l e d t o t h e re s i g n a t i o n o f P re s i d e n t N i xo n .
A t 9:07 a.m on 9/11, Melissa Har r ingon Hughes, Int ern at i o n al sal e co n su l t an t , was abl e t o m ake a cal l t o h e r n ew l y we d h u sban d S e an , w h o was asl e e p i n S an Fran cisco , an d le a ve a me ssage . " S e an , i t ' s m e ," s h e s ai d i n h e r m e s sage . " I j u st wan t e d t o l e t yo u k n ow I l ove yo u an d I ' m st u c k i n t h i s bu i l di n g i n N ew Yo r k . " T h e re ' s a l o t o f s m o ke a n d I j u s t wa n t e d t o l e t yo u k n ow t h at I l ove yo u al wa y s," sh e sai d. S a d l y s h e l a t e r d i e d t h a t d a y.
In Jan uar y 2014, 53 year old T im Rut ledge climbed un der his t r uc k wit h a h ammer t o loosen ice on t h e brake s but sudde n l y t h e t r uc k se t t le d de e pe r i n t h e sn ow an d Rut ledge became pin n ed ben eat h it . H is eyel i d s f ro z e s h u t , h i s vo i c e b e c a m e h o a r s e a f t e r c o m p e t i n g f o r h o u r s w i t h b i t t e r- c o l d w i n d a n d h u m m i n g t r u c k e n gi n e s w h i l e s cre am i n g f o r h e l p. H e was l o si n g co n sciousn e ss in t h e sub-z ero t e m perat ures. H e lpless, h is ph on e ran g do z e n s o f t ime s ( h is wif e was wo r r ie d abo ut h i m ) i n a co at po c ke t bu t h e co u l dn ' t re ac h i t . Af t e r abo ut e igh t h o urs an d n e ar de at h ; h is ph on e t opple d from h is poc ke t , it s v ibrat ing r ing enough t o f in all y br in g it fre e . H e was able t o sco o p it up wit h h is r i gh t h an d i n si de a f ro z e n gl ove , u se i t s vo i ce di al t o cal l a com pany di spat c h e r an d must e r a q uie t pl e a f o r h e l p. co H e l p cam e an d h e m ade a ful l re cove r y. An h o u r l at e r an d it would o f pro babl y o f be e n f at al .
To ny Wr i gh t , i n 2 014 bro ke t h e wo r l d re co rd f o r t h e l o n g e s t p h o n e c a l l . T h e C o r n i s h m a n t a l ke d o n h i s i n t e r n e t ph o n e f o r 4 0 h o u r s an d was st i l l go i n g st ro n g.To ny Wr igh t succe ssfull y broke t h e re cord wh ile t alkin g t o J e n ny B ar n ard, o f n o r t h L o n do n . H e be gan w h e n h e c h at t e d t o T V we at h e r f o re cast e r S i an L l oy d an d t h e n t h e n many pe o ple t o o k h o ur l y c h at slo t s wit h M r Wr i gh t t o h e l p h i m be at t h e re co rd. H e di d n o t h a ve t o wo r r y abo ut a lar ge ph o n e bi ll as h e was usin g an in t e r mn e t ph on e .
D r Z e n ko H r y n k i w was cal l e d t o pe r f o r m e m e r ge n cy brain sur ge r y but a sn owst o r m h ad t raf f ic bac ke d up f or m i l e s . T h e d e d i c a t e d s u r g e o n wa l ke d t h e s i x m i l e s t o Tr i n i t y h o s p i t al t h ro u g h t h e s t o r m t o pe r f o r m t h e s u r ge r y. If D r H r y n ki w, t h e o n l y brai n surge on in t h e are a, h ad n o t wal ke d, t h e pat i e n t l i ke l y wo u l d h a ve di e d. D r H r y n k i w ar r i ve d at t h e h o spi t al an d i m m e di at e l y we n t i n t o s u r g e r y. T h e p a t i e n t i s d o i n g we l l .