# What was the old telephone number to get the time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2014, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177 "2014-08-22T06:19:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/1 "2014-08-22T06:19:11Z")
I know, the number is defunct and will not work; hasn’t worked in years. But I can’t remember it, and it’s going to drive me crazy until I do. If it makes any difference, I’m talking about California. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/2 "2014-08-22T06:24:06Z")
I always knew it as POP-CORN, or 767-2676, but any 767-XXXX number would do. AT&T [discontinued the service](http://bartning.newsvine.com/_news/2007/12/20/1176823-telephone-milestone-att-terminates-popcorn-time-information-service) in 2007. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/3 "2014-08-22T06:29:38Z")
the number in Southern California is still +714-853-1212. In northern California dial 916 POP CORN. ---
**Author:** ![netracer61](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f1d935/32.png) [@netracer61](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/netracer61)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/4 "2014-08-22T06:37:04Z")
It was 976-1212 in virginia, there was another number you could dial then hang up and the phone would ring, cant remember that one though. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/5 "2014-08-22T06:44:22Z")
Aaaaaaah! POPCORN! That’s right, thank you! God, that was like a persistent itch in my brain. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/6 "2014-08-22T06:46:41Z")
More: [What were those Time service phone numbers you could call? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=535487) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/7 "2014-08-22T10:07:46Z")
It’s 1194 here. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/8 "2014-08-22T10:57:23Z")
123 in the UK. In the olden days, when phones had dials with characters on them, it was TIM. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/9 "2014-08-22T11:24:09Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > It’s 1194 here. That guy must take the prize for most monotonous job in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/10 "2014-08-22T11:30:37Z")
844-1414 for me and 936-1212 for the weather. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/11 "2014-08-22T12:02:47Z")
Ti4-4444 where I grew up. Of course the “Ti” stood for “Time.” At some point I found that it didn’t matter what the last four digits were – Ti4-anything would get you the time. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/12 "2014-08-22T12:19:41Z")
When I was growing up in Torrance, it was 376-0111. (213) 835-1212 also worked. Now, as an ATT customer, dialing 0 for the operator gets an announcement of the time BEFORE the call is put through. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/13 "2014-08-22T13:01:09Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > 844-1414 for me and 936-1212 for the weather. In the 70’s-80’s in Kansas City it was 844 and any 4 numbers. So I guess the T&T used the whole exchange. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/14 "2014-08-22T13:31:22Z")
Yep - as a couple have pointed out 410/301/443/240 (all used to be 301) were all 844-1212 (that was what was published) - but any four would work - I’ve noticed “The Wire” uses this a decent amount in their screen shots on wiretaps - and weather was 936-1212 (but any four would work). I don’t recall “The Wire” using that, but I’m not freeze framing - so there is a lot I miss I’m sure. TIme=84 WEeather=93 ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/15 "2014-08-22T13:37:03Z")
Did you guys ever call 1-800-GOLF TIPS back in the day? Early 90’s. It was a male East Indian voice counting 1-10 over and over. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/16 "2014-08-22T13:37:05Z")
Where I grew up it was 529-5111… One of the first numbers I knew by heart …it still works! ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/17 "2014-08-22T13:39:45Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > Did you guys ever call 1-800-GOLF TIPS back in the day? Early 90’s. It was a male East Indian voice counting 1-10 over and over. Does that actually help with golf somehow or is the number unrelated? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/18 "2014-08-22T13:52:15Z")
376-8111 in Little Rock. I call it at least twice a day to check the time and temperature. it’s different in every town in Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/19 "2014-08-22T13:54:48Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > 844-1414 for me and 936-1212 for the weather. > [@BubbaDog](#): > > In the 70’s-80’s in Kansas City it was 844 and any 4 numbers. So I guess the T&T used the whole exchange. I think it was for us too, I vaguely remember asking my mom “844 what?” and she just said 1414 and that’s what stuck but I’m pretty sure anything worked. Also, after I posted I realized that the number I gave for Weather wasn’t anything ‘official’ it just went to one of the news stations. I can remember hearing our local meteorologist on it. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177/20 "2014-08-22T13:56:52Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > it’s different in every town Well I guess the time and temperature would be different in every town to some degree. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-old-telephone-number-to-get-the-time/696177.md?page=2)