The Very First Cell Phone Calls

The cell phone made its public debut 40 years ago, which sounds like a very long time ago because it was.

Ahead of the April 3rd anniversary, The New York Times Magazine takes us back to the very day in 1973 that inventor Martin Cooper first showed off his portable Motorola telephone. At 2.5 pounds it looks more like the famous Zack Morris brick than our fancy smartphone glass and aluminum slabs today. For the entree of this wonder Cooper wanted to do a "dazzling demonstration." Turns out, to do that, he just had to talk on it.