Watch kids discover rotary phones

[kenny]

This make me feel SOOO old.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkuirEweZvM

 

[JewelFreak]

Ohhhh groan. It makes me feel wiser & smarter, Kenny. I like this, "A busy signal....I think I've heard of that." Holy cow. I'll date myself: when I was a real little kid I just barely remember before dial phones, when you picked it up & told the operator the number you wanted to call. It wasn't quite the days when you said, "Gertie, can you get me Mrs. Kravetz, please?" but the next step past that -- before area codes, even. Yike, now I feel old as dirt!

--- Laurie

 

[LaraOnline]

Now I'm not so old, but in the 1980s, I lived in remote Australia (think Crocodile Dundee!)
The mail plane came once a week. It was over a day's drive to a hospital, so in an emergency the Flying Doctor would come out.

We had a telephone exchange that opened at the local (only) store between 7am and 7pm.
You would twist the knob on your phone, and when the store lady picked up you would ask for a number, or if wanting to speak locally you could even ask for the household by name! The local numbers were things like '37' or '42' but no one ever used them.

I remember one time my Mum was frantically trying to call the local nurse, as an Aboriginal girl had a problem with her baby, and it was just before 7pm. The shop lady's daughter was looking after the exchange at the time as her parents were away, and she had a reputation for being a bit lazy on the exchange. Well, she refused to put through the call and instead just turned the exchange off! Mum had to drive all the way into town.

Old time locals agreed that this exchange system was a remarkable improvement as before that was the 'party line' system, where everyone's household telephone phone rang when calling along a particular cross country phone line!

 

[nottospec]

Those kids were very funny. How are they trying to text on it??? OMG hilarious

Its funny this is posted today. We were looking through a vintage shop today and there was an old phone. My 12 year old couldn't believe the dial!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

We have lived through an incredible time technologically. Most here probably remember getting the first computers in their homes. Because even our grown children can remember that. Our oldest stone started out with a pager as a young teen and by about the next year, everyone had cell phones. It was an incredibly quick transformation when you look back at time.

 

[kenny]

I'll date myself: when I was a real little kid I just barely remember before dial phones, when you picked it up & told the operator the number you wanted to call. It wasn't quite the days when you said, "Gertie, can you get me Mrs. Kravetz, please?" but the next step past that -- before area codes, even. Yike, now I feel old as dirt!

--- Laurie

Did you have to crank that phone?

 

[LaraOnline]

Well, mine looked like this:



You can buy one from ebay if you like! (This is where I found the photo):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-phone-leich-hand-crank-rotary-dial-art-deco-very-cool-/261362460227

 

[AGBF]

Believe it or not, we still have a working rotary phone mounted on the wall here at my father's house in Connecticut. It works even when the electricity goes off...as long as the phone lines aren't down, of course!

Deb/AGBF

 

[JewelFreak]

I'll date myself: when I was a real little kid I just barely remember before dial phones, when you picked it up & told the operator the number you wanted to call. It wasn't quite the days when you said, "Gertie, can you get me Mrs. Kravetz, please?" but the next step past that -- before area codes, even. Yike, now I feel old as dirt!

--- Laurie

Did you have to crank that phone?

Yeah, Kenny, and we cranked the car to get it going too.


DH moaned for years how much he missed rotary phones, so I got him this for Christmas one time. Has pushbuttons but it was enough to quiet him down. (With his Old Dog pipe tobacco living next door to it.)

 

[TooPatient]

Believe it or not, we still have a working rotary phone mounted on the wall here at my father's house in Connecticut. It works even when the electricity goes off...as long as the phone lines aren't down, of course!

Deb/AGBF

My grandparents have one down in the basement still!
Still works and I've gotten to talk on it a couple of times. Great when the power is out! (they have a cell phone now (finally) so it doesn't get used as often)