Our first phone call to Lisbon

It was just over a century ago, but in light of the current vertigo, it might as well have been ten thousand years ago. Since when is a phone call newsworthy? Not the subject dealt with in the phone call, but the phone call itself. Well then, in the edition of February 24, 1904, Jornal de Notícias reported, “rejoicing”, his first telephone connection to Lisbon. An advance that, the text reads, put us “abreast of the most advanced large European centers”.

“Due to the extreme and binding kindness of the most intelligent 1st officer of the telegraphs, Mr. Thomaz Ribeiro, who due to his high competence was in charge of setting up the telephonic line between Lisbon and Porto, yesterday we had the satisfaction of speaking, for the first time, to Lisbon, by telephone”, reads the first paragraph of the article, arranged between an attempt to evade prisoners in Aljube and an episode of violence (the arrest of a seamstress who had a falling out with another woman, seriously injuring her on the forehead with a stone).

For someone who, nowadays, can do almost anything with a mobile phone, it will be practically impossible to imagine the delight of those who welcomed the clarity of a telephone connection that allowed people to be heard more than 300 kilometers away with impressive clarity.

“First we spoke with Lisbon’s central station and then with our colleague from «Seculo», a courtesy that goes to Mr. Thomaz Ribeiro. The first time the clarity of the sound was so complete and perfect that we even asked if we were talking to the Porto station. And, afterwards, as the particular line of the «Seculo» was a…) impeded, the sound came with more difficulty; however, it was heard perfectly, which demonstrates the great perfection of the devices employees and the attentive care taken in assembling the new telephone. Such was the clarity with which it was heard, that the editorial staff of «Seculo» made an impression, arriving there too to believe that they were talking about “another newspaper in Lisbon”, details the report, short but quite enthusiastic.

The news on page 3 would not end without another thanks to the kindness of those who helped the newspaper to be at the forefront. “So this new improvement, which has been awaited for a long time, is a fact and which puts us on a par with the most advanced large European centers. pleasure”.