Inventor Celebrates the 35th Anniversary of his First Cellular Phone Call

That first call, was the beginning of a revolution that has changed the lives of three billion people worldwide. A cell phone call is a call to a person in contrast with wired phone calls that are to a place.

"People are mobile," said Cooper. "Given the choice, people will demand the freedom to communicate wherever they are, unfettered by the infamous copper wire. We vividly demonstrated that freedom back in 1973."

He added, "In a time when there were no cordless or cellular phones, normally blase New Yorkers gaped at the sight of me making a phone call while strolling down Lexington Avenue." The first cell phone was mammoth by today's standards - weighing two and a half pounds and was 10 inches long. The phone could be used for only 20 minutes before the battery died.