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 ...

ALBANY — Less than two miles behind the front lines during World War I, some American women telephone operators sat at switchboards that shook severely from the sounds of the big guns they could hear ...

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 ...

Once a mainstay of homes, businesses, and phone booths everywhere, the phone book has (mostly) gone the way of the dodo. Spokeo examined historical documents, news reports, and other sources to ...

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

It’s an iconic image from the middle of the 20th century: a telephone operator sitting at a crazily lit-up switchboard, wearing headphones and directing phone calls wherever they need to go.

In the 1950s people relied on newspapers, mail, radio, television, and land-line telephones for communication. There were no cell phones, electronic mail, or social media. The telephone was the only ...