Dialing for Time: A Blast From the Past
Remember those days when you had to actually look at something to know what time it was? Crazy concept, right? Like, who needs a watch when you can just ask your fridge? Or your car? Or your toaster? (Okay, maybe not your toaster.)
But there was a time when our tech overlords hadn’t quite taken over. A simpler time when people relied on things like... gasp actual people to tell them the time. Can you imagine?
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| What Was The Old Phone Number For Time In California |
The Time Lady and Her Magic Number
In the golden age of landlines and rotary phones, there was a magical number you could dial to get the exact time. In California, it was a number so iconic, it was known by its nickname: POP-CORN. That’s right, by dialing 767-2676, you could hear a soothing, automated voice tell you the exact time and date. It was like having your own personal time oracle.
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Imagine the thrill of calling POP-CORN on New Year's Eve to hear the countdown! Or using it to prank your friends by telling them the wrong time. (Don’t judge, we were all young once.)
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The End of an Era
Sadly, even the most magical things come to an end. In 2007, POP-CORN fell silent. The Time Lady, as she was affectionately known, hung up her headset for good. It was the end of an era, a time when people relied on a phone number instead of their smartphone to know the time.
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So next time you’re complaining about your phone battery dying, spare a thought for the folks who had to rely on a good old-fashioned phone call to stay on schedule.
How to Channel Your Inner Time Traveler
Want to relive the glory days of dialing for time? Here are a few tips:
- How to pretend you're in the 90s: Find a rotary phone (good luck with that), dial 767-2676, and pretend you're hearing the Time Lady’s voice.
- How to appreciate modern technology: Thank your lucky stars for smartphones and smartwatches.
- How to make your own time oracle: Record yourself saying the time and date, then play it back whenever you need to know. (Just kidding, use your phone.)
So there you have it, a brief history of a time when people actually had to think about what time it was. It’s a wild world out there.
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