On April 20th, 1964, Bell Labs debuted the Mod I Picturephone at the 1964 New York World's Fair. In a landmark demonstration of transcontinental communication, visitors to the Bell System Pavillion in Queens placed the first long-distance video calls to individuals at a similar exhibit in Disneyland, California. The Picturephone featured a small 5.25 by 5 inch black-and-white screen that transmitted a full-motion image at 30 frames per second over three pairs of standard copper telephone wires. Although the technology was impressive, and even attracted the First Lady Bird Johnson, the technology was seen as way to expensive to the public, with a three-minute call costing $16 to $27 ($150-$250 today). The Picturephone was ultimately a spectacular commercial failure, but its revolutionary technology paved the way for modern video calls.
