Today in Science History tells us that it was on this day, in 1884, that the first long-distance telephone call was made. Today we expect to have perfect reception on every phone call, and "long distance" is hardly something that fazes us. Back then even short distances were long - that first phone call was between Boston and New York City. The site tells us that both parties to the call reported that it was "perfectly clear", though I can remember phone calls from 100 years later that still had more static than voice. Maybe the degree of perceived clarity was a function of low expectations. Whatever, what was once a technological achievement seems by today's standards hardly something to write home about.