3 ms·

Interestingly the reason is analogue in nature. With pulse dialing a single pulse for a 1 could happen by accident quite easily (e.g. two lines knocking into e

• noncoml 9y ago
  Isn't that why the number 112 is usually used? Fast to dial, but not as easy to dial by mistake as 111.
  • sambeau 9y ago
    Misdialling short numbers on a rotary phone was easy and common. If your finger slipped out of the dial it would return at that point and dial a shorter (lower) number. The most common point for a finger to slip was at the start of each turn, so if your finger slipped you would mostly dial ones or twos. You cannot dial a 9 in this way. The amount of time it took to dial 999 was inconsequential. Nothing was instant in the days when this protocol was invented.
    • noncoml 9y ago
      There is nothing special about 9 in the rotary dial. It sits between 8 and 0. The reason for choosing nice was not because of misdials.
    • deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]