Emma Nutt Day

Emma and Stella Nutt on the switchboard.

Margie: Edna, I bet you don't know what today is. It's Emma M. Nutt day.

Miss Nutt was the very 1st female telephone operator, hired in Boston on September 1st, 1878. She is quoted as saying she was "very glad her 1st name was not Imma".

Edna: Ha! Well, at least she had a sense of humor. I bet it came in handy while trying to work the phones in a big city like Boston back in those days, when ALL the calls went through a switchboard.

Margie: You couldn't have worked there, dingbat. The women operators had to be single, between 17 and 26 years old, and they needed long arms to reach the switchboard.

Guess how much money they made? $7 a week. That wouldn't have bought your chocolate much less anything else.

Edna: You just can't resist trying to be a know-it-all about everything, can you? I think you're forgetting about inflation, I imagine $7 per week back then would have gotten you quite a bit.

You know, this all reminds me of my years answering phones at the salt mine here in Jericho. Not a day went by that I didn't get a compliment from perfect strangers about my sweet phone voice and impeccable manners. Such a shame that the profits fell off so sharply after I retired, I think their customers missed talking to me.

Margie: There are Nutts then there are Nuts. Need I remind you of which one you are? Lying liar.