early 12c., one of the ecclesiastical princes who constitute the sacred college (short for cardinalis ecclesiae Romanae or episcopus cardinalis), from Latin cardinalis principal, chief, essential (see cardinal (adj.)). Ecclesiastical use began for the presbyters of the chief (cardinal) churches of Rome.
In 1889, the rotary telephone dial was invented by Almon B. Strowger , a Kansas City undertaker. The first dial exchange was installed at La Porte, Indiana, in 1892. In 1943, Philadelphia was the last major area to give up dual service.
The charm of picking up a phone and talking to an operator to dial a number has been part of Hollywood lore for many years. The only problem with this is the fact that the rotary phone, which allows for specific number dialing through a series of pulses that are controlled by a user dial, has been around since 1904.