Where was the world's first telephone exchange installed?

Question

Where was the world's first telephone exchange installed?

Answer 1

1878 - - The first commercial telephone exchange in the world is opened at New Haven, Connecticut with 21 subscribers on January 28th. - - The first exchange in California is opened at San Francisco on February 17th. - - The first telephone directory is published by the New Haven District Telephone Co. (21 Listings) on February 21st. - - The first exchange in New York State is opened at Albany on March 18th. - - Competition develops in the telephone industry as Western Union Telegraph Company establishes subsidiaries including the American Speaking Telephone Company and Gold & Stock Telephone Company using transmitters by Thomas A. Edison and receivers by Elisha Gray. - - The first exchange in Massachusetts opens in Lowell on April 19th. - - The first telephone exchange outside of the United States is opened in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on July 15th. - - The Bell Telephone company files suite against Peter A. Dowd, head of the American Speaking Telephone Company (Western Union Subsidiary) to protect the Bell patents against Edison and Gray infringements. (September 12th.) - - First five telephones connected with a central office switchboard in Washington D.C. takes place on December 1st. The White House is No. 1; Capitol No. 2; Associated Press No. 3; Treasury Dept. No. 4; and the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb (later Gallaudet College) No. 5. The central office was a 24 wire peg switch.