PEnnsylvania 6-5000
Encyclopedia
PEnnsylvania 6-5000 is claimed by its owner, the Hotel Pennsylvania
, to be the oldest continuing phone number in New York City
. The telephone number
is based on the old telephone exchange name
system. The first two letters "PE" in PE6-5000 stand for the rotary dial
numbers 7 and 3, making the number (with Manhattan
's area code) +1 (212) 736-5000. The exact age of the phone number, and the veracity of the Pennsylvania's claim, is unknown. The earliest it could have existed is around 1930, when seven-digit telephone numbers were first adopted in New York City.
When seven-digit telephone numbers came to New York (along with Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago) the 3L-4N (3 letter-4 number) system was first used. Thus originally, the Hotel Pennsylvania would have written its telephone number as "PENnsylvania 5000". A few years later, this was replaced by the so-called "2–5 numbers" or 2L-5D, two letters and five digits (for example a number on the Pennsylvania exchange would be shown as PEnnsylvania 6-5000).
In 1969, the PE6 telephone exchange was the first in Manhattan
to be transferred from panel switch
to 1ESS switch
, temporarily making it a significant part of New York Telephone's service crisis.
names played in the Hotel Pennsylvania's Cafe Rouge Ballroom, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra
; the phone number became the inspiration for the Glenn Miller 1940 Top 5 Billboard hit song of the same name, written by Jerry Gray and Carl Sigman, and released as RCA Bluebird 78 B-10754-A backed with "Rug Cutter's Swing". In turn, the song was tributed by synthpop
duo Erasure
on their little-known song 'Sixty-Five Thousand' from The Innocents
. It also inspired the pun
title Transylvania 6-5000, used separately by a Bugs Bunny cartoon
and a full-length live-action film
. The number was requested in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's, and was also referenced in a mix of the Milli Vanilli
song "Baby Don't Forget My Number
". The actor Taylor Nichols
danced alone to the tune in the 1994 Whit Stillman
movie Barcelona
.
Hotel Pennsylvania
The Hotel Pennsylvania is a hotel located at 401 7th Avenue in Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City.- History :...
, to be the oldest continuing phone number in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The telephone number
Telephone number
A telephone number or phone number is a sequence of digits used to call from one telephone line to another in a public switched telephone network. When telephone numbers were invented, they were short — as few as one, two or three digits — and were given orally to a switchboard operator...
is based on the old telephone exchange name
Telephone exchange names
During the early years of telephone service, communities that required more than 10,000 telephone numbers, whether dial service was available or not, utilized exchange names to distinguish identical numerics for different customers....
system. The first two letters "PE" in PE6-5000 stand for the rotary dial
Rotary dial
The rotary dial is a device mounted on or in a telephone or switchboard that is designed to send electrical pulses, known as pulse dialing, corresponding to the number dialed. The early form of the rotary dial used lugs on a finger plate instead of holes. Almon Brown Strowger filed the first patent...
numbers 7 and 3, making the number (with Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's area code) +1 (212) 736-5000. The exact age of the phone number, and the veracity of the Pennsylvania's claim, is unknown. The earliest it could have existed is around 1930, when seven-digit telephone numbers were first adopted in New York City.
When seven-digit telephone numbers came to New York (along with Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago) the 3L-4N (3 letter-4 number) system was first used. Thus originally, the Hotel Pennsylvania would have written its telephone number as "PENnsylvania 5000". A few years later, this was replaced by the so-called "2–5 numbers" or 2L-5D, two letters and five digits (for example a number on the Pennsylvania exchange would be shown as PEnnsylvania 6-5000).
In 1969, the PE6 telephone exchange was the first in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
to be transferred from panel switch
Panel switch
The panel switching system was an early type of automatic telephone exchange, first put into urban service by the Bell System in the 1920s and removed during the 1970s...
to 1ESS switch
1ESS switch
The Number One Electronic Switching System, the first large-scale Stored Program Control telephone exchange or Electronic Switching System in the Bell System, was introduced in Succasunna, New Jersey, in May 1965. The switching fabric was composed of reed matrixes controlled by wire spring relays...
, temporarily making it a significant part of New York Telephone's service crisis.
1940 Glenn Miller Recording
Many big bandBig band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
names played in the Hotel Pennsylvania's Cafe Rouge Ballroom, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra
Glenn Miller Orchestra
The Glenn Miller Orchestra was originally formed in 1938 by Glenn Miller. It was arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, while three other saxophones played the harmony...
; the phone number became the inspiration for the Glenn Miller 1940 Top 5 Billboard hit song of the same name, written by Jerry Gray and Carl Sigman, and released as RCA Bluebird 78 B-10754-A backed with "Rug Cutter's Swing". In turn, the song was tributed by synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
duo Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
on their little-known song 'Sixty-Five Thousand' from The Innocents
The Innocents (album)
After releasing The Two Ring Circus, a remix album in 1987, The Innocents was the third proper studio release from Erasure, released in 1988...
. It also inspired the pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
title Transylvania 6-5000, used separately by a Bugs Bunny cartoon
Transylvania 6-5000 (1963 film)
Transylvania 6-5000 is a short Merrie Melodies animated film directed by Chuck Jones and starring Bugs Bunny. Bugs demonstrates how to handle a pesky vampire with six simple magic incantations...
and a full-length live-action film
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985 film)
Transylvania 6-5000 is a movie about two tabloid reporters who travel to modern-day Transylvania to uncover the truth behind Frankenstein sightings. Along the way, they encounter other horror movie staples — a mummy, a werewolf, a vampire — each with a twist.Directed by Rudy De Luca, the film...
. The number was requested in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's, and was also referenced in a mix of the Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, visually fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Feb. 21, 1990. Milli Vanilli became one of the most...
song "Baby Don't Forget My Number
Baby Don't Forget My Number
"Baby Don't Forget My Number" is a song by Milli Vanilli and the second U.S single release from their album Girl You Know It's True. It became the first of their three number one hits in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1989.-Track listings:7"-Single...
". The actor Taylor Nichols
Taylor Nichols
Cecil Taylor Nichols is an American actor best known for roles in the Whit Stillman films Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco. His characters in these films were insecure, stuttering sidekicks to those of the more outgoing Chris Eigeman...
danced alone to the tune in the 1994 Whit Stillman
Whit Stillman
Whit Stillman is an American writer-director known for his sly depictions of the "urban haute bourgeoisie" Whit Stillman (born John Whitney Stillman on January 25, 1952) is an American writer-director known for his sly depictions of the "urban haute bourgeoisie" Whit Stillman (born John Whitney...
movie Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.