Show Oddities of Telephone History While scientists like Alexander Graham Bell BellmaY maY map have had the most to do o wi with development of telephone service a lot of others havo had vital roles One of the most interesting and important of these was a Dr Moses Parker of Lowell Muss Mass Ho invented telephone numbers Besides being a physician Dr Parker was an in- in investor investor vestor hack back in 1879 in his llis local telephone company r recalls Tom om Mahoney in an August American Legion Magazine article The rho Big Switch ill in Phone Num Num- Numbers hers bers Female operators not yet being on the scene four boys ran the telephone exchange and the tho few subscribers called for each other othor by name When a measles epidemic threatened to knock knockout knockout out tho th four boys who know knew the names and t OIl for the subscribers Dr Parker carne up with the i idea ea of giving them numbers and having them them call ll for each other by number so that substitute operators could conIc mak make the tho connections We Ve have had c lengthening ever telephone numbers ever since A Kansas City undertaker named Almon B also has left his imprint on telephony lie Ho foun found people calling him him being given a wrong num- num number her ber not just any wrong number but the number of ofa ofa a rival undertaker whose wife happened to be an op- op operator operator in the telephone exchange So invented invented ted the automatic dial to end cud this Wis sort of thing I It may comfort you to know that can I have n a wrong number Queen Elizabeth of En England land till the Legion article notes recently telephoned Princess Margaret at Bin Birr Castle ill in Ireland where the number is a 3 did Her Majesty get getT Naturally Burr BilT 22 the the telephone in Dooley's local hill hay I |