"Speaking Clock": The Forgotten Technology of the Early Telephone Era

"This service, accessed by telephone, connected callers to a live or recorded voice that announced the precise hour. The very first of its kind appeared in France on February 14, 1933, when the Paris Observatory launched a system that used glass discs synchronized with a master clock. By dialing a simple number, Parisians could hear a calm female voice tell them the time with absolute accuracy."

"Britain followed a few years later, introducing its own speaking clock on July 24, 1936. Operated by the General Post Office, callers dialed "TIM" to hear the famous phrase, "At the third stroke, it will be..." The first voice belonged to Jane Cain, a London telephone worker chosen from thousands of applicants for her clear and reassuring tone. Behind the scenes, the system relied on optical film recordings and electro-mechanical timers to keep everything in sync."

"Across the Atlantic, the United States launched its first automated time service in Atlanta in 1934, not as a government project but as a clever promotion for Tick Tock Ginger Ale. Entrepreneur John Franklin adapted Western Electric technology to create the Audichron, a machine that would soon spread across the country and become the backbone of America's talking clocks. Australia joined the trend in 1953, offering its speaking clock through the Post Master General's Department."

Speaking clocks provided precise time by telephone using live or recorded voices connected to synchronized timing mechanisms. The first speaking clock began in Paris on February 14, 1933, using glass discs synchronized with a master clock and a calm female voice. Britain launched a service on July 24, 1936, with Jane Cain recorded via optical film and electro-mechanical timers. The United States adopted automated time services commercially in 1934 with the Audichron. Australia introduced a national speaking clock in 1953 routed to provide local time across landlines, payphones, and mobile connections. Early mechanical systems evolved to magnetic tape, solid-state electronics, and digital systems.

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