primeideal

This is a case of "was doing research for a fic, wandered down a rabbit hole" rather than "was really bored at work, got lost on Today In History." But, I am delighted that this has an entire page.

At the turn of the 20th century, the terms "ham" and "plug" were used by landline telegraphers to describe an operator "who lacks ability or who had poor or "ham fisted" skills. By 1881, it had been alleged by telegrapher unions and trade groups that companies were employing "ham" operators who were negligent or incompetent. These unskilled operators were described as either drinking alcohol while working, irresponsible teenage boys, or merely having very little ability. Their miscommunication was blamed for causing severe train wrecks. Railroad executives during this era were also accused of hiring unskilled operators to save money and were said to be accepting bribes from telegraph schools to hire unqualified students. These disreputable telegraph schools were referred to as "ham factories."