What about telephones?

Nobody had a cell phone and some people didn't even have a standard phone in their home. If you were outside and needed to make a call you'd have to stop at a payphone (many of them were enclosed phone booths) on the street. You had to "dial" the phone (a circular dial - no push buttons) and the area codes were so simple then. One area code (212) covered the entire City of New York - now I think it has six different area codes.