It’s something that we all take for granted now – picking up the telephone, if we even still use a land line, or dialing on our cell phone. There was a time that, post-telegraph, people had to connect to an operator who would then place the call. That changed in 1936, when rotary telephones were introduced. This video shows the public’s first time hearing things like a dial tone, a ringing phone, and a busy signal. It’s old hat for us, but then again, there’s always a first for everything.
The video talks about people getting new phone directories and it shows how to tell if a phone is ready, with the dial tone. It explains how to dial with the rotary phone. Many of us remember using these and it takes us back to a different time. Now we’re all used to carrying our smartphones and we may even glare when the landline rings since we know it’s a telemarketer, since our friends and family contact us on our cell phones.
The thing with rotary phones was that if you dialed too fast or took your finger out of one of the holes too fast, you could dial another number completely. Sadly, I never had one of those Hollywood moments where a misdialed number led to a chance meeting and whirlwind romance. Instead, I just got yelled at and hung up on. Still, watching this video made me feel nostalgic for an earlier time.
I remember the rotary phone. My parents clung onto that technology for way too long. It was annoying, since everything was moving to touch-tone and I couldn’t even call my college to get my grades since it was all touch-tone. Now my father is texting and emailing and everything. They get with the times, eventually. I wonder what technology my son will be pushing for me to try…
What’s your favorite technological upgrade for a phone? Mine is the smartphone. Tell us in the comments section!
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