Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
The First Cell Phone Call Was Made On 6th Avenue, 40 Years Ago
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 3, 2013
Modified Apr 3, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 3, 2013
Modified Apr 3, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
L: the Motorola DynaTAC. R: Cooper places his call from 6th Avenue (Courtesy of Martin Cooper)
Forty years ago on this very day, Martin Cooper stood on 6th Avenue in Manhattan and called Bell Labs from a mobile phone that he built over the course of 90 days. It was the world's first cell phone, and when the call went through on April 3rd, 1973... it became the first cell phone call.
According to the Daily Beast, "Cooper had invited reporters to watch him make its first public call" from the phone, which was 10 inches long and weighed 2.5 lbs (10 years later when Motorola introduced the Dyna-TAC, the first commercially available mobile phone, it cost $3,500!). Cooper has said of that day in 1973:
"As I walked down the street while talking on the phone, sophisticated New Yorkers gaped at the sight of someone actually moving around while making a phone call. Remember that in 1973, there weren't cordless telephones, let alone cellular phones. I made numerous calls, including one where I crossed the street while talking to a New York radio reporter—probably one of the more dangerous things I have ever done in my life."
It was in the 1960s, after discussing how to improve the Chicago police department's large car phones that Cooper's thoughts turned to the idea of a mobile phone: "That’s when I really made the discovery that is my mantra today... That people are fundamentally, inherently mobile, that these policemen were much, much more effective when they could carry their radios with them than when they were trapped in cars." Cooper was also inspired by Captain Kirk's "communicator" on Star Trek, of course.
The 84-year-old Cooper has since left New York for Silicon Valley, where he's still working (and on Twitter). Here's a 2010 Ted Talk he gave about the wireless revolution:
Tagged
anniversary
cell phone
martin cooper
marty cooper
mobile phone
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .