Bizarre Vintage Jobs That No Longer Exist (And for Good Reason!)

Switchboard Operator

In the early days of telephones, switchboard operators—mostly women—manually connected every call using cords and jacks. They had to memorize numbers, handle cranky callers, and stay alert for long hours.

Though more civil than most vintage jobs, the role was incredibly demanding and mentally exhausting. The introduction of automated dialing systems eventually rendered them obsolete, but their voice once connected entire cities.

Advertisements