For at least a century, pay phones were as crucial as mailboxes. Coin-operated public telephones initially cost 5¢, with phone booths located on almost every corner. The busiest phone in the world, however, was Booth No. 17 in New York City. Every year, people used it to make over 50,000 telephone calls. Why was it so popular? Booth No. 17 was located right near the Lexington Avenue entrance to Grand Central Station. People who were leaving used it to say goodbye, and people arriving used it to let friends and family know they were there. Though it was just one of 288 public telephones inside the terminal, the fact that it was right by the entrance pushed it up the ladder of popularity. It wasn’t until 2015 that New York City began removing pay phones.
