On Hold story

On Hold
The inventor of the phone,
Alexander Graham Bell, and his
assistant, Thomas Watson, were
working on improving the phone.
Bell was talking on the phone
when someone asked to talk with
him. Bell handed the phone to
Watson and said, “Hold this,” while
he went to another room. Thus was
born the term “putting someone
on hold.”
Source: Seven Wonders of Communication
Byonald Cleveland