What about Superman?
Phone booths may seem like a 20th century invention. However, Paris introduced them in 1884 and a year later, New York City had installed 10,000 of them.
In May, NYC removed its last phone booth from a popular location in Times Square. It will be placed in the New York City Museum.
Coin-operated phones have enjoyed a good run. During the height of its heyday, AT&T had installed its one millionth U.S. phone in 1960, and a decade later at its peak, there were an estimated two million pay phones.
European countries began removing phone booths by 2015 while London, known for its “red phone boxes,” and the U.S. delayed eliminating them because of their iconic charm. Americans in particular didn’t want to let go of the popular photo opportunity, and for those old enough to remember, they’ve been a nostalgic reminder of phone booth stuffing in the 1950s, “one of the all-time great fads.” Pay phones have also been known to conjure up memories of checking the coin return for “extra change.”
About 100,000 pay phones still exist nationwide, especially in places where there isn’t good cell phone or landline coverage such as Yosemite Valley’s well-known classic icon. As for our superhero, Superman, according to an online locator, there are 19 coin-operated phones in his hometown of Metropolis, Illinois.