The first recorded use of the word hello was in a telephone book
While originally used as an exclamation to grab attention, the word hello first appeared in print as a formal greeting within the pages of an 1878 District Telephone Company manual.
Thomas Edison is credited with popularizing hello as the standard telephone greeting. He preferred it over Alexander Graham Bell’s choice of ahoy, which sounded more like a nautical shout. The word made its official debut in a New Haven telephone book in 1878, where it was listed as the recommended way to answer a call.
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