In some countries step-by-step exchanges and selectors are called Strowger
 Exchanges and Stowger Switches. Almon B . Stowger was an undertaker
 (American mortician) in Kansas  City,Missori. The wife of the rival mortician
 in kansas was the operator in the local telephone exchange (manually
 operated in those days) . Whenever an anguished call came in "please
 connect me to the mortician" the rival got the call and the funeral business.

 Almon B. Stowger  was so incensed by the injustice of this that he went
 straight home and invented an automatic switching system to keep  himself
 in business. This unlikely story really is true.
 
 
 
 

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