A rotary phone is a type of telephone that uses a rotating dial to input numbers. When a user wants to make a call, they place their finger in a hole corresponding to the desired number and rotate the dial clockwise until it stops. After releasing the dial, it returns to its original position, and the phone sends the number to the telephone network. These phones were popular from the early 20th century until the 1980s, when they were gradually replaced by push-button phones and later by mobile phones. Despite their decline, rotary phones are often seen as nostalgic and are sometimes collected as vintage items.