It is common these days for machines to beep. But a few decades ago, if machines made deliberate noises to draw attention, they were usually bells or buzzers or horns. These are closely related, but distinctly different from beeps.
What was the first machine to beep? Was it the first touch-tone telephone? The BBC time pips? Or were there earlier machines that beeped? Did anything beep before the invention of radio?
What about the motor car?
BJF
For the purposes of my question, I’m drawing a distinction between beeps and horn noises. And although we sometimes say a car horn beeps, it’s not really the same kind of beep I’m thinking of.