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50th anniversary of the first cell phone call

Martin Cooper, engineer and inventor, made the first cell phone call on April 3, 1973. (Courtesy of Martin Cooper)

The most favorite and most important device in our life is our cell phone. Yes, over the years, the cell phones have changed our lives and we can’t live without it. It feels like we are in love with her. Yes, I address her as “She” because she takes care of me, she is more than my personal secretary, mom, friends or lover. She wakes me up in the morning, she keeps track of my calendar, she reminds me when is my next meeting, she can pay my bills thru mobile banking, she helps me to visit my doctor from home when I am sick, she guides me on the road when I’m lost, she cheers me up when I am down by playing music or showing me funny videos around the world and more. Feels like we are in love with her and I don’t know how to live a single day without her. I wonder how she does it while she is only 50 years young multi-tasker vibrant lady. Yes, that’s true. The cell phone is only 50 years old this year. Let’s join us to celebrate her 50th anniversary.

If you ask her, “Who is your dad?” She will answer, “Martin Cooper”. Yes, that’s true. Martin Cooper is widely considered as the father of the cell phone because he is credited with inventing the first portable cellular phone in 1973 while working as a senior engineer at Motorola. He was the first person to make a mobile phone call on a handheld device. He was born on December 26, 1928, in Chicago; Martin Cooper grew up in a family that valued education and innovation. He graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering and began his career at Motorola in 1954. His invention has revolutionized the way we communicate with each other today.

Before the invention of the cell phone, people were tethered to landlines or had to rely on bulky car phones to make calls while on the go. Cooper recognized the need for a more convenient and accessible form of communication and set out to create a device that would allow people to make calls from anywhere, at any time. At Motorola, Cooper worked on the development of the first portable police radios, which was a brick-shaped and weighed over 30 pound, costing nearly $4000 and were carried in a backpack. The device, known as the DynaTAC 8000X and it was popular among rich business owners who needed to communicate on-the-go. This experience led him to believe that the future of communication was wireless and portable.

In 1973, Martin Cooper and his team at Motorola developed the first handheld cellular phone that weighted over two pounds only.. On April 3, 1973, Cooper made history when he used the Motorola’s DynaTAC to make the world’s first mobile phone call to his rival at Bell Labs, Dr. Joel S. Engel. He reached into his pocket for a little telephone book and dialed a number. Then a connection was made, and the person on the other end picked up. It was his competitor, Joel Engel, at Bell Labs. As Martin Cooper described …..“And I said, ‘Hi, Joel, it’s Marty Cooper.’ And he said, ‘Oh, Hi, Marty.’ And I said, ‘Joel, I’m calling you from a cell phone. But a real cell phone, a handheld, personal, portable cell phone,’” said Cooper. “As you could tell, I was not averse to rubbing it in.” That was the first cell phone call ever made. It was a call that would revolutionize communications and change life as we know it. Cooper’s invention revolutionized the way people communicate and transformed the world. Today, more than five billion people around the world use mobile phones to stay connected with friends and family, work, and access information.

Today, billions of people around the world rely on cell phones to communicate with each other, access the Internet, and perform a wide range of tasks. It’s hard to imagine life without this ubiquitous device, and it’s all thanks to the vision and determination of Martin Cooper. Martin Cooper’s contributions to the field of telecommunications have been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2013, the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research in 2010, and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal in 2010.

Beyond his work on the cell phone, Cooper has been a strong advocate for the use of technology to improve people’s lives. He has been involved in numerous projects, including the development of a wireless telemedicine system for remote medical consultations and the establishment of the Great Communicator Award to honor individuals who use technology to enhance communication.

Finally, it’s important to remember that Martin Cooper’s vision and pioneering work have had an immeasurable impact on our world. He is a true visionary and an inspiration to all who strive to make the world a better place through innovation and technology. Moreover, I would like to say, “Happy 50th Birthday My Dear!! I love you my dear. You made my life better”.