Why did telephone operators in San Francisco Chinatown have phenomenal memories? Detailed answer

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Why did telephone operators in San Francisco Chinatown have phenomenal memories? Detailed answer

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Why did telephone operators in San Francisco Chinatown have phenomenal memories?

When a telephone exchange was built in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1909, telecom operators were required to be proficient in English and five dialects of Chinese.

In addition, they had to know by heart the surname and number of each of the 2400 subscribers: the Chinese considered it impolite to call a person by number, and it took too much time to look up a surname in the directory.

Author: Kondrashov A.P.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How did prisons originate?

We used to think that a prison is a place where people who break the law are kept locked up. But in ancient times things were different.

Centuries ago, titled persons and important political figures were often captured and kept in prison in retaliation for some deed, or until they paid a ransom. It was not until the early XNUMXth century that prisons began to be used to punish and correct people who had committed wrongdoings.

Until that time, people who broke the law were kept in prisons only until the trial. After the trial, the sentence was immediately carried out. The criminals did not have to serve their sentences in prison. The guilty were either executed, or flogged, or subjected to other corporal punishment, or fined.

Gradually, people realized that cruelty cannot prevent crime. As a result, imprisonment has replaced execution and corporal punishment.

In Great Britain and other European countries in 1550 "workhouses" and "houses of correction" began to appear. Beggars, vagabonds, debtors, revelers and other people who committed minor offenses were kept in these places.

In those days, those who committed more serious crimes were also kept there. But "workhouses" were unsuitable for holding criminals serving long sentences, so prisons began to be created where such people would be guarded more carefully.

Most prisons were completely unsuitable for keeping people: they were dirty, dark and cold. The food and medical care was terrible. In one cell, old people and young, seasoned criminals and those who went to prison for the first time sat together. There were no correctional programs, no work: the criminals were sitting idle.

At the end of the XNUMXth century, people began to insist that prison conditions be improved. Since that time, prisons have changed a lot, and today many people are convinced that the prison should help prisoners get on the right path. Now there are programs that provide them with jobs, medical and psychological care, and education.

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Human warmth - a threat to computer security 15.07.2018

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