*this is another one where I'm not 100% sure about the translation. I saw "replaces", "substitute", "replaces [someone]". I picked substitutes because it seems clearer.

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[–] 45 points 6 months ago* (1 child)

Lmaaooo. 1870's teen boys fucking around with whoever called just because they felt like it.

There's a more unfortunate take to that as well, but I like to think they were pulling running refrigerator and mike rotch jokes the whole time instead.

*edit

Found the more detailed source;

When the first commercial telephone exchange began service in January 1878, teenage boys were hired as the first operators. However, the young men often played pranks on each other and their customers. Within about six months, the Boston telephone exchange decided to add a female operator, a young woman named Emma Nutt.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago

    My favorite part about studying history is those little moments where you really feel the human connection to our ancestors. Like, of course teenage boys were fucking around, they're teenage boys. I'm sure it wasn't anything too egregious - it was still a job after all. Just hilarious to think about these kids pretending to be some girl the other one was crushing on calling in or shit like that.

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