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Old 02-10-2004, 07:01 PM
AlphaSigOU AlphaSigOU is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Huntsville, Alabama - ahem - Kwaj East!
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Quote:
Originally posted by Taualumna
I've read about prefixes before numbers in older novels and seen them in movies and books. How exactly did it work?
In American (and probably Canadian) telephones you'll notice the alphabet grouped in three letter groups. The first two letters are actually a mnemonic for the telephone exchange, such as 'Butterfield 8'.

BUtterfield 8
BU8 = 288-(last four digits of the individual phone number)

PEnnsylvania 6-5000 - (the phone number for the New York Stadler Hilton, also a Glenn Miller Big Band tune)
PE6 = 736-5000

Descriptive telephone exchanges fell into disuse in the 1960s when area codes were first introduced.

More info: http://www.ourwebhome.com/TENP/TENproject.html

BTW, my mom's old phone number in Elmhurst, Queens - before she married my dad: DEfender 5-5582 (335-5582)
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Last edited by AlphaSigOU; 02-10-2004 at 07:12 PM.
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