In 1940 this Bell System film played at 1000s of movie theaters. It was designed to educate millions about new technologies: Direct dial Dial tone Ring back tone Busy signal Prior, everything was operator assisted. The first time there was a mass scale technology education. https://twitter.com/BrianRoemmele/status/1195117852270841856 …pic.twitter.com/Pet6TOpGoI
Peter, I hear ya. I wonder why the Bell System felt the need to spend millions of dollars in the early 40s to buy the slots before movies in cinemas to show this educational film if so many folks already had this technology.
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I wonder too. I am guessing it was the movement to the expanded numbering plan, and surely by 1950 it was serviceable. Operators existed in facilities well into the 1970s connecting those inside and to those outside. I ran a small hotel local “plug” switch in 1969.
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Peter, this is awesome. You know my grandma was living in Newark, NJ in the mud 1940s and did not get dial until 1948. Interesting it took so long in a bigger city.
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