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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...