History: May 8 (#5)

History: May 8 (#5)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
May 8, 1988 A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history".

Commentary

Commentary

On May 8, in the year 1988: A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history". The Number One Electronic Switching System (1ESS) was the first large-scale stored program control (SPC) telephone exchange or electronic switching system in the Bell System.

Commentary

Why May 8, 1988 matters: A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Offi ce triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history". What began on this day left a lasting mark on history. The effects were felt immediately and continued to shape events, ideas, and lives long afterwards.

Commentary

Historical context: May 8, 1988 The 20th century brought change at a pace unprecedented in history: two world wars, the r ise and fall of fascism and communism, decolonisation, the Cold War, the space race, and revolutions in science, technology, and human rights all compressed into one hundred years. The event on this day: A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history". Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_One_Electronic_Switching_System (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)