Area Codes For Lowell, Ma: Fill & Download for Free

As a starting point numbers cannot be owned. They're not the kind of thing that somebody could stop you from having, or that if you steal one the person no longer has it. Numbers are just numbers.We owe the existence of telephone numbers to a 1879 measles epidemic in Lowell, MA. Before then, if you had a phone in Lowell and you wanted to call one of the other 200-odd phones in town at the time, you picked up your receiver, it would close a circuit and you would tell one of the nice telephone women who you wanted to speak with. She would then plug a cable between your line and theirs. No need for numbers, she had them all memorized, and probably some labels and cheat sheets.A local doctor, fearing that all four of the town's switchboard operators would potentially be out sick, proposed numbering the switches for the benefit of their temporary replacements, who hadn't memorized the locations. After some reluctance the local Bell Telephone company, which thought that people would object to being referred to by numbers, relented. The system was so popular with users that they kept it, and the practice spread. Within a town there were exchanges (usually two digits) to designate the switchboard, and phone numbers (usually 5) for each exchange. If you moved from one place to another, they would have to rewire or renumber the whole system for you to keep the number. Simpler that you just got a new number to reflect the new location on the switchboard.In the 1920s mechanical dialers were invented. In the early 1940s, area codes were applied to specify which regional area you were calling. Before that — you guessed it, you spoke with the operator and told them which city you wanted to call. By the 1950s calls could be switched out of area code automatically by dialing, but as late as the 1980s there were still "operator assisted calls" when that failed, or there was some other reason you needed help or advanced services. Sometime in the 1970s or so everything became computerized. Layers and layers of complexity were added to the switching technology, allowing a phone number to be moved from one location to another, but it was (and still is in a sense, for land lines) an exercise in making direct connections between one hand set and another. You might be able to change the number within an exchange, but if you moved to a different exchange, and certainly to a different area code, it would be a different number. Even though there were techniques for forwarding and relaying calls, if you wanted to keep your number in a new area code it meant that somebody was going to have to make a long distance call, and until the late 1990s those calls were very expensive. It also took a very long time for different nations to make their phone systems interoperable, something that isn't complete even today.Because of the history, there was never a sense that your phone number was actually yours. Certainly not in a legal sense — as I said, a number is not something that can be owned. Not even in a contract sense, like your seat assignment if you're a season subscriber to a sports club or symphony. The numbers didn't really belong to anyone, but AT&T and later the local Bell companies owned the equipment and rented it to you, and they assigned numbers at their own convenience. So it was more like buying a ticket to a raffle or a nightclub, or a stall number at a parking garage. As long as you're holding the coupon it's yours. But if you come back later, you get whatever number is available. If you want to choose your own or specify a vanity number, you pay extra.Of course it was to their advantage to run the numbers this way, and it still is — the difficulty of having to tell everyone your new numbers keeps you staying with a particular subscriber, and lets them charge extra for you to keep it. The law (and consumer pressure, and lots of technical coordination) has to actively come into play for you to keep your number. If there is no law, it means you're at the mercy of the communication companies, which will do whatever works for them.Even though you don't really _own_ a phone number, the fact that the technology allows people to call each other nationwide (and perhaps worldwide) at a number independent of the location, and that laws now force companies to let you keep your number if you want, and even take them to new carriers, all create an entitlement to your number. And entitlements are just one step away from ownership, right?For what it's worth, in the long term phone numbers might be on the way out. Most people call (or gchat, or IM, or Slack) each other according to their address book or social network connections. This translates somewhere to a unique address per device, account, individual, etc., but that's at some utility level well underneath user awareness or even most applications or operating systems. At some point soon, nobody will know anybody's number and it won't matter.You can own numbers in a trademark sense, however. I don't think you can name a song 8675309 or call a company 1-800-got-junk without hearing somebody's lawyers.

You probably dial a few of them every day, but do you ever stop and think about the history behind a phone number? When were the first numbers introduced? How did you end up with a particular area code?We've got the answers to these quandaries and more in our collection of 10 fascinating facts that you might not know about the common phone number.Take a look through the gallery and let us know which facts you found interesting (as well as any gems we may not have included) in the comments below.1. How Phone Numbers Were InventedIn the early days of phone service, you'd call the operator and ask to be patched through to a particular line. This system was first questioned in 1879 by Alexander Graham Bell's friend, Dr. Moses Greeley Parker of Lowell, MA. The town was suffering from an epidemic of measles and the doctor quite sensibly suggested that if the town's phone operators fell ill, replacement operators would struggle to run the system. Numbers instead of names was seen as a better solution which, as you all know, is the system we still use today.2. The First U.S. Area CodesConceived in the late Forties, area codes were not established until the introduction of New Jersey's 201 area code in 1951. The area codes we use today are an evolution of the original "North American Numbering Plan."Initially there were under 90 codes. Codes were dished out based on population. The areas with the largest populations received codes that were quick to dial on a rotary phone. New York was given 212, Los Angeles 213 and Chicago 312 while more rural areas like Texas and Kansas got 915 and 913.3. All About Emergency NumbersEmergency numbers differ from country to country. While 911 was eventually adopted as the standard number in the United States and Canada, in Europe you'll need to dial 112, although 999 also works in the UK, where there's been an emergency number system since the http://1930s.In contrast, 911 was not official until the late '60s, when it was first known as "nine-eleven," and then later changed to "nine-one-one" to avoid confusion with people wasting precious time looking for the "11" button.Prior to the one-number system, you'd call the operator to summon the correct emergency service, although in the States some fire departments could be reached by dialling "3-4-7-3" -- which spells "FIRE."[object Object]4. The Most Expensive Phone NumberThe most expensive number sold was cell phone number 666-6666, auctioned off for charity in Qatar. It sold for a dizzy $2.7 million, far and away surpassing the previous record holder. The Chinese number 8888-8888 sold for $280,000.5. Woz Owned 888-8888Legend has it that Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak (who was really into repeating digits, hence pricing the Apple I at $666.66) once owned the phone number 888-8888.The only problem with such a cool number was that it earned over a hundred prank calls a day. Although not malicious in nature, being dialed repeatedly by mischievous children must have taken its toll.6. Fictional Numbers Are Set Aside For FilmsThe "Klondike" or "KL" phone exchange was first used to generate fictional phone numbers in American TV and films. This later evolved to the current "555" prefix, some of which have been set aside purely for fictional purposes. In the UK, 01632 is the fictional area code recommended by Ofcom, although it does also provide non-working suggestions for major cities, as well as fictional cell, freephone and premium rate numbers.[object Object]7. However, Some Films Ignore the ConventionSome have bucked the 555 trend. Universal Studios owns (212) 664-7665, which has appeared in The Adjustment Bureau, Definitely Maybe and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. If you call the number, it just rings and rings. Fight Club uses the 288 area code, which is not yet in use, and Bruce Almightycaused controversy for using a real phone number supposedly belonging to God. After complaints, the original "776-2323" was changed to the more traditional 555-0123 in the DVD release.8. Famous Phone Numbers in MusicPhone numbers famously appear in songs as well, perhaps the most memorable being Glenn Miller's Pennsylvania 6-5000. Today the number still exists as (212) 736-5000 ("73" replaces the "PE" of the old number) and will get you through to the Hotel Pennsylvania of the song title. The hotel happily claims that it's the "New York phone number in longest continuous use."Other numbers to have appeared in song (much to the annoyance of folks who own that number in various area codes) include Tommy Tutone's 867-5309/Jenny. More recently, Alicia Keys mentioned that 489-4608 was her number in the song Diary, after which excited fans attempted to call her.9. How to Find Your Personalized PhonewordsThanks to services like PhoneSpell, you can find out if any of your phone numbers offer interesting "phonewords." Enter your digits and the site will generate a list of interesting combinations. If you've lucked out, it may provide a better way to remember your number in future.[object Object]10. Finally, a Neat Phone Number Magic TrickThere's a neat phone number-related trick you can impress your friends with, thanks to the magic of math.Take a seven-digit phone number, for example, 941-7990. Multiply the first three digits by 80. Add one. Multiply by 250. Add the last four digits of the original phone number. Add the last four digits again. Subtract 250 and divide by two.Cool, huh?