 And now, starting with this glimpse, we had still, within the memory of millions of Americans, let us step into the record that tells of one of the great technological romances of all time. The telephone art had yet to be developed. Electrical engineering was not yet a course of study in American colleges. There were only about 200 communities where a primitive service had been introduced to a doubting public. In all America, there were fewer telephones and you will find today in seven or eight New York office buildings. A telephone circuit was part wire and part earth with the speech it carried of course at the mercy of any electrical disturbance in earth or air. A thunderstorm would completely prevent conversation. Not for many months was it discovered that an all-metal circuit would result in clearer speech. It was truly a daring experiment that was completed in 1884, a two-wire circuit for speech between Boston and New York. But it led to an historic decision. Yes. Well, as soon as possible, Mr. Cahill. Oh yes, yes, they're all here waiting for you. Very well, thank you. Mr. Cahill will be here in a few minutes with the certificate of incorporation ready for our signatures. This draft of it seems all right to me. And to me. Well, it certainly takes in a lot of territory. How do you mean? This section here. It says that our lines will connect one or more points in each and every city, town or place in the state of New York with one or more points in each and every other city, town or place in said state and in each and every other of the United States. Yes, it's pretty inclusive, but then Vail's been talking about a vast system for years. With his ideas, he's certainly the man to beat the new company's first president. This language makes me smile when I think of the trouble my company has had right here in New York City trying to get subscribers. It is rather optimistic language. Of course, some of these electrical experts are mighty skeptical. I've been looking for a certain editorial in the electrical world. No, here it is. It is probable that in the near future, business communications by telephone between cities separated by hundreds of miles will be an everyday occurrence. But it will be a luxury for the few, bearing the same relation to telegraphy in general that traveling in Pullman cars does to ordinary railroad travel. That may be the way it looks now. But the line to Boston is being used by all sorts of people, even though it isn't very good. We'll find ways of making the service popular. Well, let's hope the next line down to Philadelphia will work better. A lot of my New York subscribers say they need it. Good morning, gentlemen. Good morning, gentlemen. Sorry, I kept you waiting. That's perfectly all right, my boy. Well, I've got the final draft. Have any changes been made, Mr. Cahill? Only one. Now, if you gentlemen will turn to page three where it says, In each and every other city, town, or place in said state, and in each and every other of the United States, and in Canada and Mexico, got it? This is to be added. And each and every of said cities, towns, and places is to be connected with each and every other city, town, or place in said states and countries, and also by cable, and other appropriate means with the rest of the known world. The rest of the known world? Sacred codfish. Well, why not? Ten years ago you couldn't talk by wire at all. It's a legal precaution, gentlemen. Mr. Forbes and Mr. Vailfield, the new company, should not be limited in its future activities. Whatever can be done, they want the company prepared to do. The rest of the known world, eh? Well, gentlemen, we're certainly starting from scratch. Will you sign first, Mr. Hall? Gladly. Sign your name on the top line, please. So it was that in February, 1885, there came into existence the organization you called the AT&T Company, founded in the infancy of the telephone to pioneer long-distance service, but destined 15 years later to become the central company of your system. While transmitters, receivers, and switching devices were being improved, an important development came from the study and introduction of the principle of transposition. The application of this interesting principle involved shifting the current path by interchanging the position of the two wires of the circuit. The change of the pin position of the two wires at carefully determined intervals helps to reduce the interference brought to the circuit by induction from parallel electrical currents. The part of accuracy of transposition is playing in the modern art of transmission is evident to any expert eye that scans the complex wire facilities of today. Thus, with all wire circuits, the transposition principle, and organized laboratory investigation for every department of telephone activity, there was encouragement to the effort to link together the growing telephone organizations. Yet, when wires were made to talk a thousand miles in 1892, the accomplishment only emphasized the character of obstacles still to be overcome. Well, this new service to Chicago is going to be very useful to us. Our agents there think so too. We usually can understand each other fairly well if we speak carefully and not too loud. But how about the forest? We have important agents on the Pacific Coast. When can we telephone to them? We've had something nobody knows. But surely you're going to put up more wires? Of course. But a thousand miles is about the limit for talking. But, sir, I don't understand. A wire is a wire? We can telegraph to the Pacific Coast? Yes, a wire is a wire. But a telephone circuit and a telegraph circuit are entirely different things. Let me explain it to you very simply. Here's a receiver. Here's the battery that furnishes the electrical current. Here's a wire circuit.