Phone Numbers In The 50s

Why were telephone numbers easier to remember in the 1950s?

When I was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, telephone numbers were much easier to remember. One reason was that fewer people were 'on the phone' so fewer numbers were needed and therefore did not need to be in such a long string. Notice inside an old London area telephone box listing all the London letter-based area codes.

Are there any 1950s telephones for sale on ebay?

There are also 1950s telephones for sale on eBay. The Western Electric Model 500, with its rotary dial and coil cord, is available in a desktop or a wall-mounted version. The phones come in various fun colors such as red, green, orange, and blue.

Where was the house phone set up in the 1950s?

The location of the house phone. During the 1940s and into the 1950s, being on the phone was regarded as a luxury by ordinary families. Even then, there was only one phone in the house. It was set up in a fixed position which was invariably in the hall or passageway, to provide the easiest access from every room.

What was life like on the telephone in the 1940s?

Domestic phone from the early 1940s. Note the pull-out drawer in the base for a dialling code card. In early 1940s war-time Britain, very few well-off families had phones - or were 'on the phone' as it was called. There were public telephones, and shops or businesses might be encouraged in an emergency to let valued customers use their phones.