Motorola unveils the first portable cellphone
Photo: Motorola Solutions

April 3, 1973

The size of a walkie-talkie, the DynaTAC prototype was too large for most purses, much less a back pocket. But it was, in a strict sense, handheld, and not meant to be mounted in a car like the handful of cellular devices that had come to market by then. It helped turn Motorola into a tech giant, and started a revolution that we’re still in the midst of today.