THE STORY BEHIND THE SATIRE · Springfield, Massachusetts · Sep 10, 2026

1937 mural catches a time traveler checking his notifications

What happened

A 1937 mural by Umberto Romano went viral after viewers noticed an Indigenous man holding a small dark rectangle in a pose that looks strikingly like someone checking a smartphone. The mural depicts a 17th-century encounter involving Springfield founder William Pynchon.

Why it matters

There is no evidence of a lost colonial cellular network. Historians say the object is more plausibly a small hand mirror, book or traded item. The mural was created for Springfield’s main post office as part of a Depression-era federal art project.

The Blappos angle

The first smartphone user has finally been identified, and he already looks disappointed by the battery life. Historians believe he was checking whether the Mayflower had surge pricing.

Read the NDTV report ↗

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