Mae's Real Stories

Memories for Miriam, Alice, Theo, Delia, Tessa and anyone else who would like to be here

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

 

The Time Lady


What do you do if you want to know what time it is?
Before computers, electronics, and cell phones were invented, what did people do if their watches and clocks were broken? They called "the time lady." Every telephone company in every part of the country had a time lady. She was really a very complicated machine that told time with a lady's voice. A real lady had recorded all the words and numbers to tell the time.

When you called the number for the time you heard this message: "AT THE TONE THE TIME WILL BEEE... " and then she said the time. She always sounded funny. When Evelyn was a little girl, she thought the lady said "AT THE TONE THE LIMA BEAN..." and then said what time it was. In some places, she also said what temperature it was outside. The lady said NI-UHN for nine and other funny things.

People really needed the time lady. Whenever there was a storm, and electric clocks didn't work, people called the time lady. When you changed to or from Daylight Savings Time in the spring and fall, you might have to call her. If your watch broke, you might call her.

Some time ago, in Michigan, Virginia, and most other states the telephone companies stopped having the time lady. They said people had lots of other ways to find out the time. But today I read that the time number has kept working in California till now, but it's soon going to be discontinued. The complicated machines that figure out the time and make the lady's voice say "AT THE TONE THE TIME WILL BE..." are wearing out. The time lady still works in Nevada, but those machines might break down too. Soon there won't be any time lady at all.

(See this article in the Los Angeles Times to learn about the entire history of the time lady and the end of Time. Also, you can go to www.time.gov to see what time it really is!)

Comments: Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]





<< Home

Archives

August 2006   September 2006   October 2006   November 2006   December 2006   January 2007   February 2007   March 2007   April 2007   May 2007   June 2007   July 2007   August 2007   September 2007   October 2007   November 2007   December 2007   January 2008   February 2008   March 2008   April 2008   May 2008   June 2008   July 2008   August 2008   September 2008   October 2008   November 2008   December 2008   January 2009   February 2009   March 2009   April 2009   May 2009   June 2009   July 2009   August 2009   September 2009   October 2009   November 2009   December 2009   January 2010   February 2010   March 2010   April 2010   May 2010   June 2010   September 2010   October 2010   November 2010   February 2011   May 2011   September 2011   March 2012   April 2012   May 2012  

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]