response 116 of 253:

Feb 2 17:10 UTC 2006

In parts of the world where people don't all have telephones, telegraph
service is important.  I got a few telegrams while living in Macedonia.  The
dorm had one phone.  The place where I rented a private room did not.  Making
long distance calls required a long wait at the post office for the operator
to set it up.  That has probably changed, but I doubt everyone has phone
service all over the world.  Is there anyone in the US without phone service?

Telegrams were used as greeting cards, not for rapid communication, in the
US.