Hotline facts for kids

The emergency crisis phone at Niagara Falls.

Commonly, a hotline is a telephone service, which offers specialized information. This information can be about how to deal with certain situations, but it can also be about the products of a company. The term originally came from a telephone which would automatically dial a pre-set number, once the receiver is lifted. Such telephones can still be found alongside highways, where they serve to call for help. Today, very often, hotlines are operated by call-centers.

Images for kids

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  A typical non-dial red phone used for hotlines. This one is a prop which is on display in the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, erroneously representing the Moscow–Washington hotline.

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  In Finland there are still several signs marking the location of the Moscow–Washington hotline cable. This one is in Forssa. The text reads "Post and telegraph department".

See also

In Spanish: Línea directa para niños