-
Jean-Antoine Nollet Expirement
Jean-Antonio Nollet discovers that electricity can travel over long distances instantaneously. -
Period: to
1746-1877
-
"An Expeditious Method of Conveying Intelligence" is published
"The earliest suggestion of a scheme for using electricity to send messages had apeared in the Scott's Magazine of Febuary 17,1753. A letter from an unknown author, who signed himself simply "C.M.", was published under the heading "An Expeditious Method of Conveying Intelligence". The letter described a simple signaling system consisting of a wire for each letter of the alphabet, and a fricitional generator that sent shocks down the wires."
-Tom Standage -
Claude Chappe is Born
"Chappe was born on Dec. 25, 1763, in Brûlon, France, near Le Mans. He became a Roman Catholic priest but lost his religious post in 1789 during the French Revolution (1789-1799). In 1793, Chappe won government support to develop his ideas for rapid communication."
-Amy Sue Bix -
Optical Telegraph Demonstration
"The three telegraph towers took eleven minutes to send a rather boring message ("DAUNOU HAS ARRIVED HERE.HE ANNOUNCED THE NATIONAL CONVENTION HAS JUST AUTHORIZED HIS COMMITTEE OF GENERAL SETION TO PUT SEALS ON THE PAPERS OF THE DEPUTIES")"
-Tom Standage -
Hans Christian Oersted Discovers Electromagnetism
"During a lecture in 1820, he noticed that the needle of a compass wavered every time he put it near a wire carrying a current. He had discovered that every conductor carrying an electric current is surrounded by a magnetic field. "
-Julia Borst Brazas -
The Telegraph is Patented by Samuel Morse
"As the holder of the patent rights within the United States, he is entitled to royalties from any company that used his invention: but very few of the dozens of telegraph companies that sprang up to meet the explosive demand for telegraph honored his patent."
-Tom Standage -
Samuel Morse's Demonstration of The Telegraph
Samuel Morse opens the first telegraph line from Baltimore to Washington D.C. and sends the first official telegraph message. -
Western Union is Founded
"[They only mean to] virtually control the telegraph business"
- Committee of Commerce -
The New York, Newfoundland, and London Electric Telegraph Compan is Founded
"An Act to incorporate a company under the style and title of the New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company"
-passed by the Newfoundland Legislature. -
Transatlantic cable is laid
"The Atlantic Telegraph---that instantaneous highway of thought between the Old and New Worlds"
-Scientific American,1858 -
Transatlantic cable fails
"The idea of a transatlantic telegraph had been mooted by Morse and others since the 1840's, but ,much as we regard time machines or interstellar travel today, in the 1850's it was generally regarded as something that was very unlikely ever to come to pass though it would certainly have its uses if it did."
-Tom Standage -
"Ticker" is invented
"I naturally thought that much of this noise and confusion might be dispensed with,"
-E.A. Callahan -
Samuel Morse Dies
-
Telephone is Patented
