b"Queen Elizabeth II made Britain\\u2019s first long-distance automated phone call on 5th November, 1958 - when, from Bristol, she spoke directly to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, 300 miles away, without the need for an Operator.\\xa0\\nSubscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) transformed the telephone network, but was not without its challenges: automation brought efficiency but also led to job losses, sparking some labour disputes, and the roll-out was not completed for twenty years.\\xa0\\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider why women were selected over men as telephone operators; track the evolution of phone technology through international calls and push-button phones; and propose a future role for the monarchy in testing out social media DMs\\u2026\\xa0\\nFurther Reading:\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Caller, putting you through!\\u2019 (Daily Express, 2012): https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/334666/Caller-putting-you-through\\n\\u2022\\xa0\\u2019Queen's first video call echoes Her Majesty's historic trunk call to Edinburgh in 1950s\\u2019 (The Scotsman, 2020): https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/retro/queens-first-video-call-echoes-her-majestys-historic-trunk-call-to-edinburgh-in-1950s-2881983\\n\\u2018Queen Dials Edinburgh\\u2019 (British Path\\xe9, 1958): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfH0Xr1rIcY\\nLove the show? Join \\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS \\U0001f334 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!\\nPlus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.\\nJoin now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!\\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors\\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.\\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\\n\\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"