Telephone > Manual switching
Before the advent of Automatic Switching, all Telephone Connections were made by hand at the Manual Switchboard, Figure 1. The Calling Customer rang up an Operator, at a Switching Office, which, after knowing the number of the Called Customer, interconnected the corresponding Lines, to Close the Circuit, in order to complete the Call.
As the Telephone Systems became more sophisticated, the Automatic Switching replaced this direct intervention by the Telephone Operator.
Links
Telephone > Manual switching