Samuel Morse is credited with starting electronic
telegraphy in 1837, but early forms of this communication have been
present for centuries. Telegraphy is the process of using a form of
communication known to both sender and receiver to transmit
data. Early examples of the telegraph include smoke signals and
creative uses of reflected light. Electrical telegraphs are also
referred to as telegrams and during the middle and late parts of the
19th century, telegrams were a highly popular form of
communication. Though Samuel Morse is considered the inventor of the
telegraph, other scientists greatly contributed to its use. Nikola
Tesla helped cause other scientists to recognize its great use. By
the end of the 19th century, the importance of using the
telegraph for military purposes was greatly recognized.
Early forms of long distance communication
Several forms of communication are considered
forerunners or predecessors to the telegraph. Fire and smoke signals
were some of the earliest forms used to communicate. The system was
not very advanced and was left wanting. A fire usually signaled
trouble or danger and the absence of a fire would indicate something
was wrong. The Greeks were strong proponents for fire and smoke
signals. Other methods included flags, reflected light, and the
French based Chappe system.
The Electric Telegraph
Two forms of the telegraph use electricity. These
include the electrical and electromagnetic telegraphs. The
electrical telegraph is one that uses electric pulses to send
communications over a line or radio. Electromagnetic telegraphs are
systems that use a device to transmit signals and data from one
person to another. The electrical telegraph is often referred to
simply as the “telegraph,” and is the first form of electric based
telecommunications invented.
Samuel Morse
Samuel Morse is considered as the inventor of the
telegraph system and he helped invent the Morse code system. In
addition to his inventors, he was also a critically appraised
artist. Born on April 27, 1791, Samuel Morse was the son of a
pastor, Jedidiah Morse, and was born in Charlestown,
Massachusetts. Pastor Morse held strong Calvinist teachings and sent
his son to Yale to receive religious training. While studying at
Yale, Samuel Morse attended a lecture on electricity, still an
accomplished artist; Samuel Morse supported himself through college
with his paintings.
After graduating, Samuel Morse continued his career
as an artist and in 1825, New York City commissioned him to paint a
portrait of Gilbert de Motier. The painting was left incomplete as
days later, Samuel Morse received a message delivered by horseback
that his wife was in grave condition. By the time Samuel Morse
received the message and went home, his wife had passed away. It was
then that Samuel Morse decided he had to find a method of
communication that was faster and more efficient than those
currently available. Samuel Morse met with Charles Thomas Jackson,
who was an expert in electromagnetic technology, and the two began
conversing about a telecommunications system powered by
electricity. As Samuel Morse moved forward with his inventions, he
found that there were many competitors that sought to gain
recognition of being the inventor of the electromagnetic
telegraph. Samuel Morse worked with Leonard Gale and on January 11,
1838, the first electromagnetic telegraph made its public display.
Morse Code
Samuel Morse, Joseph Henry, and Alfred Vail
continued to work on the electrical telegraph system, making
advancements and developments. One year after they released their
system in 1836, the British team of Charles Wheatstone and William
Cooke developed an electrical telegraph that could use electric
currents with a hammer to type out letters. Though the system was
innovative, it failed to find a market. By 1844, the Morse telegraph
began using paper type and electric currents that would leave
imprints on paper. The team developed the Morse code as a way to
make the movable type readable by those who received it. Morse code
consists of a series of dashes and dots, arranged in a way that
represents the letters of the alphabet. Morse code has continued to
advance over the years and is still in use today.
Rise and decline of the telegraph system
The telegraph system enjoyed a long, lengthy history
as Morse code and telegrams continued to be used well into the
1960s. Things changed for the system, once the military began
exploring the use of what would become the Internet and e-mail
systems. The first Internet system, ARPANET, was developed in 1965
and by the year 2000, the possibilities of near instantaneous
communication over the Internet was a reality. In the year 1971, the
first E-Mails were sent between two computers that were on different
networks. This proved that one day, E-Mail could be used to send and
transmit data on an international scale. Due to the advancements of
the Internet and the E-Mail system, the telegraph system failed to
remain relevant. The last commercial U.S. ship to shore telegram
message was sent to President Bill Clinton on July 12, 1999. That
date marked the end of the rise of the telegraph system and ushered
in the new wave of Internet communications.
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Edited by Gerald R. Wheeler
Ed. D. |
