Alexander Graham Bell received U.S. Patent No. 174,465 on the telephone on March 7, 1876.

Surprisingly, it took the industry more than 13 years to come up with the pay telephone. On August 13, 1889, William Gray received U.S. Patent No. 408709 on a “Coined Controlled Apparatus for Telephones.” (These days telecommunication companies are much more adept at monetizing their technology).

The first pay phone was installed on the corner of Main Street and Central Row, in Hartford, Connecticut, Gray’s hometown, later that year.