150 Years ago...

In 1875….

Popular and common jobs included farming, manufacturing and mining due to the Industrial Revolution, and retail and service jobs as populations grew in cities. Many jobs were physical and manual labour, like blacksmithing, carpentry, and stone masonry, while new roles in mechanics, sales, and textile production also emerged. 

In the 1800s, most women worked as domestic servants, farmers' wives, or factory workers, especially in the textile industry. Other jobs included teaching, nursing, shopkeeping, laundering, and more specialized roles like dressmakers. Work outside the home was less common for middle and upper-class women, who were expected to manage the household and raise children, though some worked as governesses or music teachers. 

Alexander Graham Bell developed the first telephone, which transmitted the human voice electrically. While Bell is credited with the invention, others like Antonio Meucci, Philipp Reis, and Elisha Gray were also working on similar technologies around the same time. Bell's breakthrough involved an acoustic telegraph that evolved into his telephone design.