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Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4

NCSS: Culture • Time, Continuity, and Change • People, Places, and Environments • Science, Technology, and Society • Civic Ideals and Practices

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Bettmann Archive/Getty Images (John Mitchell)

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Cell Phones Turn 50

That phone in your hand might look pretty new, but cell phone technology has been around since 1973. Here’s how the device has evolved over the decades.

Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images (DynaTAC); SSPL/Getty Images (MicroTAC); The New York Times/Redux (BlackBerry 5810)

1. 1973: The Motorola DynaTAC could make a 30-minute call—but only after charging for 10 hours. It weighed 2½ pounds!

2. 1989: Getting smaller! The Motorola MicroTAC flipped closed to fit in a pocket.

3. 2002: One of the first smartphones, the BlackBerry 5810 offered wireless email and internet access, plus a built-in keyboard. 

Question: What do you think phones of the future will look like?

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