provided by constative.com
We live in a world where we can instantly talk to someone on the other side of the planet with a tiny device in our pockets. Back in 1939, making a simple phone call required an immense network of copper wires, heavy cables, and thousands of hardworking people. Photographer Margaret Bourke-White captured this hidden industrial world before the invention of wireless technology.
#1: Routing the Voices of the World
If you wanted to call Europe in 1939, your voice traveled through a heavy copper cable resting on the dark ocean floor. This photo shows some female operators working tightly together at a New York City switchboard. They manually plugged thick cords into a giant wall of jacks to connect those international lines. It required immense concentration and quick hands.
