Pre-WWII auto-dialler the size of a mini-fridge
Before WWII, a German inventor shipped this "Auto Dial" machine that used "a phantom finger" to dial your phone according to the position you set in your painstakingly labelled grid of frequently dialled number. The apparatus was the size of a small fridge and used mechanical wheels, one for each number.Link
The Auto Dial was invented by a German before the war. The only sample in this country is owned by Alfred Altman, President of the National Dairymen Association. The machine can handle any 50 telephone numbers desired by the user, and changes can be made at will.The signals can be made up of any number of letters and digits, according to the system used in the local exchange. The regular hand dial on the telephone can be used in the ordinary way when the automatic device has been attached.
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