Seventy-five years ago, this New York physician was undoubtedly one of the first in the nation to carry a radio pager, described in the January 1951 issue of Popular Science. But it wasn’t quite as automatic as later models. It was simply a receiver for 43.58 MHz, and he had to remember to periodically turn it on and listen to a list of three-digit numbers. If his number was called, he would call his office to find out the emergency.

The number would be broadcast for an hour, and the list of numbers was recorded on 16 mm film. The service was provided by Telanserphone, Inc., and subscribers paid $12 per month. The service was said to have a service radius of 25 miles, and would work almost anywhere, other than the subway. The magazine gives the call sign of the transmitter, KEA627. Interestingly, according to the FCC record, that license was still active up through 2000 on the same frequency, most recently licensed by Metrocall USA, Inc.