The Yellow Pages, that time-saving categorization of commercial establishments and services, was just a mistake. In 1883, a printer who was doing a run of phone books, ran out of his regular white paper, and finished off the order with yellow paper. Although it was just your regular phone listings, the idea stuck, and by 1886, Ruben Donnelly had produced the first Yellow Pages directory, listing professions, business, services, and other commercial establishments, by the alphabet.

Today, independent studies show that 7 out of 10 adults in the U.S. and Canada, use Yellow Pages on a monthly basis, and of those, half will make a purchase or utilize a service that they have found there. Statistics have also shown that Yellow Pages users will spend 28% more than non-users, on the top 200 categories listed.

As a result, advertising in the Yellow Pages has become big business. Approximately $15 billion is made every year, from listings in this section of the phone book. For the top 135 listings, it's estimated that every $1 spent on display ads, reaps an $8 pre-tax profit.

The single largest Yellow Pages advertiser in the world, is the U-haul moving company.