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 ...

For more than a year after the United States entry into World War I on April 2, 1917, there was a disconnect between the way the War Department wanted to staff essential communications positions and ...

This photo, made in 1913, shows telephone operators - known as “hello” girls - on break on the roof garden of the Rosedale Exchange building in Fort Worth. Courtesy AT&T Archives and History Center ...

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 ...