When watching old films i sometimes see someone making a phone call-why was it necessary to "crank" the phone?
Answer: I take it the phones are a fixed mouthpiece and an earpiece with a handle at the side. If so in those days phones were quite new and to connect to a person you would have to go through an operator. The person would "crank" the phone and a light or buzzer would tell the operator where it was coming from, he/she, but usually she, would take the cable connected to the phone and connect to her earpiece, from there she could either handle the query or connect to another phone where the caller was trying to reach. Well something like that anyhow.
Sends a electrical signal to the operator who would then pick up and connect your call.
Because the call was a wind up.