Why did early telephones use a rotary dial instead of 10 individual buttons?

The reason was that the telephone system required pulses to represent the numbers, and the technology did not exist at the time to generate pulses from pushbutton presses in a simple consumer device such as a telephone.

1. What did the button do on old phones?
2. When were rotary phones most used?
3. When did phones start having buttons?
4. How does a rotary dial phone work?

What did the button do on old phones?

Touch-tone service was first unveiled in 1963 and became available to New York and Los Angeles customers in 1964. The system was designed so that it wouldn't accidentally dial a number because of music being played or people singing.

When were rotary phones most used?

1930s. In the 1930s, it was common to see rotary phones in people's homes. Many think of this type of phone as the first “modern” telephone because you would speak into and listen from the same unit.

When did phones start having buttons?

Fifty years ago, the first push-button telephone was introduced. The electronic system featured Touch-Tone dialing and was offered to Bell customers on November 18, 1963.

How does a rotary dial phone work?

To dial a number the user would insert their finger into the number required. The deal would then be rotated around until they hit the finger stopper and would hear a soft clicking noise. After removing their finger, the dial would return to its starting position ready for the next number's input under spring action.