In the late 18th century, when telephone service was still in its infancy, operators were needed to connect calls. When someone dialed from a telephone, they would connect to an operator, who would then connect the call to the appropriate number. In the process, the operator could also forward the call to another number of their choosing.
At that time, Almon Strowger was a simple funeral director (manager of the funeral rites of the dead). His business was going smoothly, but one day he felt that his business was losing money. He was getting fewer customers. When he investigated, he found out that the telephone operator was forwarding the calls of his customers to her husband, who was Almon Strowger’s competitor in the city.
Conflict with the telephone operator
Elman Stroger invented a device with the aim of taking revenge on a woman that changed the whole world. Elman Stroger was a funeral director in America. Who used to conduct funerals of dead people. But suddenly his customers started decreasing and his competitor’s customers suddenly started increasing. The reason behind this was the new telephone operator in the city. This woman was also the wife of Elman’s competitor. Who was illegally stealing Elman’s customers. At that time, the telephone had been invented, but if someone wanted to connect the phone, they had to talk to the telephone operator first.
After which the operator would connect the line and only then could the conversation take place. The telephone operator took advantage of this same thing. Whenever a customer called Elman for funeral services, the operator would connect the phone to her husband instead of connecting it to Elman, due to which her husband got customers and benefited. In this way, one by one, Elman’s customers started decreasing completely and Elman was facing huge losses due to not getting customers. For this, he also complained to the main authority but no one helped Elman. After that, Elman started finding a solution to his problem on his own.
A commitment to finding solutions through technology
To solve this problem, Elman Stroger thought that if calls could be connected directly without a telephone operator, this problem could be solved. He thought of developing a system that would automatically connect calls to the correct number.
Invention of the automatic telephone exchange
In 1891, Elman Stroger filed a patent for an automatic telephone exchange. This invention featured a mechanical switching system that could switch calls without the intervention of an operator. For this system, he used rotary dial technology, which remained an important part of the telephone system for many decades. It is worth considering that a funeral service provider who did not have any engineering degree invented the rotary phone and automatic telephone exchange.
The world’s first such device that today we can directly connect a phone to any person. Elman not only brought a new revolution in the telephone industry to take revenge on the telephone operator but also ended the job of the telephone operator forever. After this invention, Elman’s funeral business also started running and he also became very rich by selling the patent of the telephone exchange.
How did the technology work?
Stroger’s automatic exchange system was an electro-mechanical switching system. When a user dialed a number, a direct connection was made to that number through various switching elements. He installed the first automatic telephone exchange in Kansas City in 1892. The system soon became popular and was used in other cities as well.
Changes in the telecom industry
Elman Stroger’s invention proved to be revolutionary for the telecommunications industry. The situation of telephone operators changed and gradually the system of automatic telephone exchange became prevalent worldwide. The development of the rotary dial system and automatic switching proved to be a major step forward for telephone technology.
The far-reaching impact of Stroger’s discovery
Stroger’s technology revolutionized telephone connectivity in the 20th century. From the rotary dial system to today’s digital switching system, Stroger’s fundamental inventions laid the foundation for the modern telephone system. Inspired by his invention, the automatic exchange system continued to grow and soon became widespread around the world. Stroger’s fundamental principles are also used in the mobile and digital telephone systems we use today.
Details of Stroger’s professional and personal life
Elman Strowger was not only an inventor, but also a shrewd businessman. When his automatic exchange system proved successful, he founded the Strowger Automatic Telephone Exchange Company. This company went on to mass produce automatic telephone technology.
Stroger avoided further work on his invention and preferred to retire rather than pursue further advancement in the telecommunications industry. He sold his patent rights to other industrialists, which allowed automatic exchange technology to develop more rapidly.
Elman Stroger was a funeral director, but his passion for technology and his desire to solve problems made him an extraordinary inventor. His inventions are a major contributor to today’s automated telecommunications systems, and his story proves that even small annoyances can lead to great inventions.
