A col l ect i on of dr awi ngs i l l ust r at i ng phone cal l st hr ough t i me t hat wer en始 t exact l yt he nor m. These phone cal l s may of changed hi st ory, del i ver ed an i mpor ant message or wer e si mpl y qui t e ext r aor di nary.
NOTYOUR AVERAGE
PHONECAL L
Al exander Gr aham Bel l made t he f i r st t el ephone cal li n Bost on on Mar ch 10,1876 t o hi sr esear ch assi st ant ,Thomas W at son. Met aphor i cal l y,t he cal lwoul d soon be hear d al lar ound t he wor l d even t hough W at son wasonl yi nt he nextr oom when Bel lsai dt o hi m on t he phone:“Mr .W at son — come her e— I wantt o see you. ”
The cl osestt he wor l d came t o nucl ear war was i n 1962, when t he Sovi etUni on pl aced st r at egi c nucl earmi ssi l esi n Cuba i n or dert o def end t hemsel vesagai nsta possi bl e US i nvasi on.Att he t i me oft he cr i si s,t he Amer i cansand t he Sovi et swer e bar el y on speaki ng t er ms.The Amer i canshad nar r owl y mi ssed st art i ng an al l outnucl earwarwhen t hey near l y dest r oyed a Sovi et submar i ne t hat woul d have l aunched one oft he war headson Cuba had i tbeen hi t .On 26t h Oct ober1962,At t or ney Gener alRobertF.Kennedy cal l ed hi sbr ot herPr esi dentJohn F.Kennedy and di scussed pl ansf orr emovi ng US mi ssi l esf r om Tur key asa peace of f er i ng t ot he Sovi et s.On hear i ng t he newsf r om t he At t or ney Gener al soon af t er t hat conver sat i on, Ambassador Ant ol y Dobryni n oft he Sovi et sagr eed t or emove t he mi s si l es f r om Cuba and t he US f ol l owed sui t ,r emovi ng t hei r weaponsi n Tur key a coupl e ofdaysl at er .
Af t ert heast r onaut spl ant ed a U. S.f l ag ont hel unarsurf ace, t hey spoke wi t h Pr esi dent Ri char d Ni xon t hr ough a t el ephoner adi ot r ansmi ssi onwhi chNi xoncal l ed "t hemosthi st or i cphone cal levermade f r om t he W hi t e House. �Ni xon or i gi nal l y had a l ong speech pr epar ed t or ead dur i ng t he phone cal l ,butFr ank Bor man,who was att he W hi t e House as a NASA l i ai son dur i ng Apol l o 11,convi nced Ni xon t o keep hi s wor dsbr i ef ,outofr espectoft he l unarl andi ng bei ng Kennedy' sl egacy
Secur i t yguar d Fr ankW i l l i smadea veryf amousphonecal li n 1972.I nf act ,hi scal ll ed t ot he t oppl i ng oft he US Pr esi dent and t he convi ct i on ofdozens ofot her s.One ni ghthe was wor ki ng i nt heW at er gat eCompl exand not i ced t apeonsome door s.He t ooki tof fbutwhen he l ooked agai n an hourl at er t hey wer et aped up agai n.Deci di ng t hati tmustbe i nt r uder s he cal l ed t he pol i ce and setof fone oft he bi ggestscandal s i n US pol i t i calhi st oryt hatl ed t ot he r esi gnat i on ofPr esi dent Ni xon.
At9: 07 a. m on9/11,Mel i ssa Har r i ngonHughes,I nt er nat i onalsal e consul t ant , wasabl et o make a cal lt o hernewl ywed husband Sean,who wasasl eep i n San Fr anci sco,and l eave a message. "Sean,i t ' sme, "she sai di nhermessage."Ij ustwant ed t ol et you know Il ove you and I ' m st uck i nt hi s bui l di ng i n New Yor k."Ther e' sa l otofsmoke and Ij ustwant ed t ol etyou know t hatIl ove you al ways, "she sai d. Sadl y she l at erdi ed t hatday.
I nJanuary2014,53 yearol d Ti m Rut l edgecl i mbed underhi s t r uckwi t ha hammert ol ooseni ceont hebr akesbutsuddenl y t he t r uck set t l ed deeperi nt he snow and Rut l edge became pi nned beneat hi t .Hi seyel i dsf r oze shut ,hi svoi ce became hoar se af t ercompet i ng f orhour s wi t h bi t t er col d wi nd and hummi ng t r uck engi nes whi l e scr eami ng f or hel p. He was l osi ng consci ousnessi nt he subzer ot emper at ur es.Hel pl ess, hi sphone r ang dozensoft i mes( hi swi f e waswor r i ed about hi m)i n a coatpocketbuthe coul dn' tr each i t .Af t erabout ei ght hour s and near deat h; hi s phone t oppl ed f r om hi s pocket ,i t svi br at i ng r i ng enough t of i nal l y br i ng i tf r ee.He wasabl et o scoop i tup wi t h hi sr i ghthand i nsi de a f r ozen gl ove,use i t s voi ce di alt o cal la company di spat cherand must era qui etpl ea f orhel p.Hel p came and he made a f ul l r ecovery.An hour l at er and i twoul d ofpr obabl y ofbeen f at al .
TonyW r i ght ,i n2014 br oket hewor l dr ecor df ort hel ongest phone cal l .The Cor ni shman t al ked on hi si nt er netphone f or 40 hour sand wasst i l lgoi ng st r ong. TonyW r i ghtsuccessf ul l y br oke t he r ecor d whi l et al ki ng t o Jenny Bar nar d,ofnort h London.Hebeganwhenhechat t ed t o TV weat herf or ecast er Si anLl oyd and t hent henmanypeopl et ookhour l ychatsl ot s wi t hMrW r i ghtt o hel p hi m beatt her ecor d.Hedi d nothave t o wor ryabouta l ar gephonebi l lashewasusi ng ani nt er mnetphone.
Dr Zenko Hrynki w was cal l ed t o perf or m emer gency br ai n sur gery buta snowst or m had t r af f i cbacked up f ormi l es.The dedi cat ed sur geon wal ked t he si x mi l es t o Tr i ni t y hospi t al t hr ough t he st or mt o perf or mt he sur gery.I fDrHrynki w,t he onl y br ai n sur geon i nt he ar ea,had notwal ked,t he pat i ent l i kel y woul d have di ed.Dr Hrynki w ar r i ved att he hospi t al and i mmedi at el y wenti nt o sur gery.The pat i enti sdoi ng wel l .