Uploaded April 2013 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
A pager is a dedicated radio frequency device that allows the user to receive messages broadcast on a specific frequency over a network of radio base stations. Al Gross invented the first telephone pager in 1949. Pagers for healthcare use were developed to quietly inform only the intended recipient that a message was waiting. The device was intended for the use of doctors and was first used in New York City's Jewish Hospital in 1950. However, pagers were not available for the general public until 1958 when pagers began replacing public announcement systems in hospitals. Motorola coined the term "pager" in 1959. The company introduced its first commercial pager in 1974. This is clipped from a May 21, 1956 newsreel.
A pager is a dedicated radio frequency device that allows the user to receive messages broadcast on a specific frequency over a network of radio base stations. Al Gross invented the first telephone pager in 1949. Pagers for healthcare use were developed to quietly inform only the intended recipient that a message was waiting. The device was intended for the use of doctors and was first used in New York City's Jewish Hospital in 1950. However, pagers were not available for the general public until 1958 when pagers began replacing public announcement systems in hospitals. Motorola coined the term "pager" in 1959. The company introduced its first commercial pager in 1974. This is clipped from a May 21, 1956 newsreel.










