Samuel Morse - The Telegraph

Samuel Morse Born

Apr 27, 1792

Samuel Morse is born in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Morse Enters College

Mar 1, 1805

Morse enters Yale College at age fourteen. While at Yale, he earned money by painting small portraits.

Samuel Morse's Wife Dies of Sickness

Feb 7, 1825

Morse's wife, Lucretia, dies suddenly at age twenty-five. By the time he is notified and returns home to New Haven, she has already been buried.

Morse starts to make telegraph

Jan 1, 1836

Morse constructs a recording telegraph with a moving paper ribbon. Morse demonstrates his recording telegraph to Dr. Leonard Gale, a professor of science at New York University.

Growth of the Invention

Sep 28, 1837

Morse files a patent for the telegraph. After completing his last paintings in December, Morse withdraws from painting to devote his attention to the telegraph.

Morse Code Is Created and Demonsrtated

Jan 24, 1838

Morse changes from using a telegraphic dictionary, where words are represented by number codes, to using a code for each letter. This eliminates the need to encode and decode each word to be transmitted. Morse demonstrates the telegraph to his friends in his university studio.

Telegraph demonstrated to professionals

Feb 8, 1838

Morse demonstrates the telegraph before a scientific committee at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute.

Morse Code Demonstrated to President

Feb 21, 1838

Morse demonstrates the telegraph to President Martin Van Buren and his cabinet.

Morse Granted a Patent

Mar 7, 1840

Bill to build telegraph line approved

Mar 3, 1843

Congress votes to appropriate $30,000 for an experimental telegraph line from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Maryland.

First Telegraph Message Sent

May 24, 1844

Telegraph becomes modern communication

Mar 7, 1866

Morse Passes Away

Apr 2, 1872