Almon Brown Strowger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Almon Brown Strowger
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| Born | February 11, 1839 Penfield, New York, United States
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| Died | May 26, 1902 (aged 63) St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
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| Occupation | Inventor |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Strowger |
Almon Brown Strowger (born February 11, 1839 – died May 26, 1902) was an American inventor. He created an important system for telephone calls. This system, called the Strowger switch, helped make phone calls automatic. His invention changed how people connected on the telephone.
Contents
Early Life
Almon Strowger was born in Penfield, New York. This town is near Rochester. His grandfather was one of the first settlers there. Even as a child, Almon loved to invent things. If his mother gave him a chore, he and his brothers would try to build a machine to do it.
He worked as a school teacher for a while. Later, he served in the American Civil War. He was part of the 8th New York Volunteer Cavalry. After the war, he became an undertaker. He lived in different places, including Kansas City, Missouri. It was there that he came up with his big idea for an automatic telephone system.
The Big Idea: Rotary Dialing
Strowger ran an undertaking business. A story says he was losing customers. This was because a competing undertaker's wife was a telephone operator. She would send calls meant for Strowger to her husband instead. This made Strowger want to remove the human operator.
So, in 1889, he invented the first automatic telephone exchange. He received a patent for it in 1891. It's said he first built a model of his invention. He used a round collar box and some straight pins. This simple model showed how his idea could work.
Making it Happen: The First Automatic Exchange
Almon Strowger had a great idea, but he needed help. He worked with his nephew William and others. They had knowledge about electricity and money. Together, they formed the Strowger Automatic Telephone Exchange Company.
The company opened its first telephone exchange in La Porte, Indiana. This happened on November 3, 1892. It started with about 75 customers. The system could handle up to 99 connections. Strowger sold his patents to his partners in 1896 for $1,800. He later sold his share in the Automatic Electric Company for $10,000 in 1898. Years later, his patents were sold to Bell Systems for a much larger amount.
Strowger himself didn't take part in the later improvements of his invention. He moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. He seemed to go back to being an undertaker there. He was quite wealthy when he died.
Later Life and Legacy
Almon Strowger passed away at age 63 in St. Petersburg, Florida. He suffered from an aneurysm and anemia. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery. His grave has a headstone that says: "Lieut. A.B. Strowger, Co. A, 8 NY Cav."
His invention had a lasting impact. In 1945, a bronze plaque was placed on his grave. This was done by telephone company officials to honor his work. In 1965, Strowger was added to the hall of fame of the U.S. Independent Telephone Association. His name has also been given to a locomotive and a business award.
In 2003, the Verizon Foundation gave money in Strowger's memory. This money helped create a website about the cemetery where he is buried. It also helped restore two Civil War memorials there.
Patents
- U.S. Patent 0,447,918 Strowger switch "Automatic Telephone Exchange" March 10, 1891
