111 years ago today, on August 29, 1914 (July 9, 1914), telephones became ubiquitous in Europe. The first telephone switchboard in Europe Since the early 20th century, telephones have been ubiquitous in Europe. By 1914, Denmark had an average of 45 per 1,000 people, Germany had 21 per 1,000, the United Kingdom had 17 per 1,000, and France had 8 per 1,000.