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Stroger's Suspicion
- Undertaker Stroger suspected his competitor was getting more business.
- He discovered the competitor's wife, a switchboard operator, directed calls to her husband.
Stroger Switch
- Stroger invented the Stroger switch to eliminate operator bias and allow direct calls.
- Early versions had buttons for hundreds, tens, and units, requiring multiple presses.
Rotary Phone Limitations
- Rotary phones were slow, tying up equipment and limiting call volume.
- The Number Four Crossbar, with its keypad, was introduced for operators to speed up long-distance calls.