The Telephone Dust Prank
A creative hoax in a small town fooled local housewives into wrapping their telephones in rags to 'blow out the dust.'
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A practical joke which was played in a small town created lots of fun and some indignation. A joker notified many of the housewives that on a certain morning the telephone company was going to blow the dust out of the phones and from the wires. They were told to tie cloths over the phone to prevent the dust ruining wall paper, furniture and pictures. Some of the phones were kept closely tied for an hour or two, and others were under the rags for half a day, or at least until they found by making inquiries of central that the joke was on them. My informant said the joker had to leave town for a day or two to escape the righteous indignation of women who were fooled.
“The joker had to leave town for a day or two to escape the righteous indignation of women who were fooled.”
This prank highlights the domestic anxieties surrounding new technology in 1915. It mirrors today's social media-driven misinformation and 'life hack' hoaxes that prey on the fear of ruining expensive modern electronics.
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