Using a rotary phone in the 1950s required inserting a finger into a number's hole, rotating the dial fully clockwise to the metal stop, and allowing it to return unimpeded. This meant waiting for the dial tone, dialing each digit of the number correctly one by one, and letting the return mechanism generate the precise electrical pulses needed for a successful connection. Credit: AT&T | History In Pictures

“How to Use the Dial Telephone” 1927. Instructional film produced by the Bell System for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, California during the introduction of rotary dial telephone service in June 1927. Earlier phone systems in the US required the caller to contact an operator (“Number, please”) to complete the call. The telephone the caller is using is commonly called a “candlestick” phone and will still work on our modern US phone lines. I learned how to use rotary dial phones growing