You are able to gift 5 more articles this month. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. The essence of a telephone operator’s job was to efficiently connect a ...

Before smartphones, landline telephones were the way most people kept in touch. And until direct dialing became common, a switchboard operator's assistance was often needed to help with long-distance ...

HINES, Minn. — The earliest telephone systems connected people, eased some of the loneliness and isolation of homesteaders who lived far from other family members, provided alarms in times of ...

There used to be a lot of telephone operators in America. And now hardly any. When there were hundreds of thousands rather than just a couple of thousand, it was the work of women — and demanding work ...

The operator is going off the hook for millions of customers, CNN reported. Starting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won't be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get ...

Before smartphones, most people kept in touch using landline telephones. And before direct dialing was common, some calls were handled by switchboard operators. During the 1950s, more than 220,000 ...

Let’s face it, the last day on some jobs is the last day you see your old buddies. Sayonara. Adios. Au revoir. Don’t let the door … That’s not how they do it at the phone company. On a recent Saturday ...

The operator is going off the hook for millions of customers. Starting this month, AT&T customers with digital landlines won’t be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance ...

Social media has become pervasive in modern life. It can be impossible to get so much as an invite to a party without offering up your personal data at the altar of the various tech companies. [David] ...

A reunion of Maine switchboard operators highlights the challenges of making a phone call more than 50 years ago and what it was like to handle... Telephone operators of another era gather to ...