Central 3-6-8 sounds like an early phone number: Central is the exchange and 3-6-8 indicates the line. In the early days there were all sorts of letter-number splits, eventually standardized to two letters and five numbers, and then to all numbers. I am so old that the first couple of home phone numbers I had to memorize as a child included the name Regent. Central was a common exchange name. At some point there was a “standard” set of names chosen to minimize misunderstanding between speaker and listener.Report
Probably the most well-known exchange/number in history:
3-6-8?
First base, shortstop, center fielder?Report
Central 3-6-8 sounds like an early phone number: Central is the exchange and 3-6-8 indicates the line. In the early days there were all sorts of letter-number splits, eventually standardized to two letters and five numbers, and then to all numbers. I am so old that the first couple of home phone numbers I had to memorize as a child included the name Regent. Central was a common exchange name. At some point there was a “standard” set of names chosen to minimize misunderstanding between speaker and listener.Report
Probably the most well-known exchange/number in history:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OUkNOwpXtcReport
OH YEAH! I remember hearing that the first phone numbers were 5 digits, not 7.
That makes sense.
(This is the one that I happened to be familiar with as a kiddo)
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