Rolodex

The Rolodex, invented by Arnold Neustadter and Hildaur Neilsen in 1956 and first marketed in 1958, was an improvement to an earlier design called Wheeldex. Neustadter's business Zephyr American invented, manufactured and sold Autodex, a spring-operated phone directory that automatically opened to the selected letter, Swivodex, an inkwell that did not spill, Punchodex, a paper hole puncher, and Clipodex, an office aid that attached to the stenographer's knee. The name rolodex has become somewhat genericized for any personal organizer performing this function, or as a general term to describe the sum total of an individual's accumulated business contacts.