Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

When telephone companies first began hiring telephone operators, they chose ..... for the job.

  1. teenage girls

  2. old women

  3. teenage boys

  4. old men
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

When telephone operators were first hired in the late 1870s-1880s, companies deliberately chose teenage boys, believing they had the right combination of agility, obedience, and manual dexterity. However, boys often proved to be prank-prone and rude to callers, so companies switched to teenage girls and 'hello girls' by the 1890s. The initial preference was for boys, not women of any age.

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