Thursday, May 24, 2012

Birth Of The Information Highway...!

I think it's safe to say that if this wasn't the start, it certainly was a close second!

When you stop and think about it, the amount of time between this discovery and the place we are at today is fairly short! New discoveries are being made even as we speak that will make the information sharing beyond our wildest dreams!

May 24, 1844:
What hath God wrought?

In a demonstration witnessed by members of Congress, American inventor Samuel F.B. Morse dispatches a telegraph message from the U.S. Capitol to Alfred Vail at a railroad station in Baltimore, Maryland. The message--"What Hath God Wrought?"--was telegraphed back to the Capitol a moment later by Vail. The question, taken from the Bible (Numbers 23:23), had been suggested to Morse by Annie Ellworth, the daughter of the commissioner of patents.

Morse, an accomplished painter, learned of a French inventor's idea of an electric telegraph in 1832 and then spent the next 12 years attempting to perfect a working telegraph instrument. During this period, he composed the Morse code, a set of signals that could represent language in telegraph messages, and convinced Congress to finance a Washington-to-Baltimore telegraph line. On May 24, 1844, he inaugurated the world's first commercial telegraph line with a message that was fitting given the invention's future effects on American life.

Just a decade after the first line opened, more than 20,000 miles of telegraph cable crisscrossed the country. The rapid communication it enabled greatly aided American expansion, making railroad travel safer as it provided a boost to business conducted across the great distances of a growing United States.

If Mr. Morse and his friends could see us today, I wonder what they would think?

I'm sending out an invitation to all my friends to join me on the patio for some fresh coffee this morning. Are you in?

11 comments:

Sixbears said...

It was a huge development in high speed communications. Everything since has just been improvements. The telegraph was the real breakthrough.

Ben in Texas said...

To answer your question "
What would Morse and his friends think now" He's probably say the same thing he said with his first telegram.
"What Hath God Wrought?" :-)

Stephen said...

Way back when, I was able to copy five letter groups of code at forty groups a minute...sadly without constant practice today I'd be lucky to remember dit da dit. Time for my coffee too.

linda m said...

I agree with "Ben in Texas" - "What Hath God Wrought". I'm in for coffee this morning.

JO said...

Just simply amazing where we are now.

I'm for the coffee as always. :)

HermitJim said...

Hey Sixbears...
I think you're right about that!

The start of it all!

Thanks, my friend, for coming over today!


Hey Ben...
I'm thinking that would be an outstanding answer!

Seems like Morse opened a big can of worms, good or bad!

Thanks, budedy, for coming over today!


Hey Stephen...
Something that it might not be a bad idea to relearn!

Thanks for coming over today!


Hey Linda...
Only seems logical, doesn't it?

Thanks, lady, for coming by today!


Hey JoJo...
Like the commercial used to say...we've come a long way, baby!

Like I said, for good and for bad!

Thanks, sweetie, for dropping by this morning!

Duke said...

Every day I am so thankful to Al Gore for inventing the internet so we can have our blogs.

HermitJim said...

Hey Duke...
I hear ya! Maybe we should send him a "thank you" card...by telegraph, of course!

Thanks, my friend, for coming over today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

Now this isn't fair. You invited all to have coffee with you this morning and here it is late in the afternoon and I am just now getting the invitation. Yes, I know, I should read the blogs sooner, but I have been busy working on a project for the north sea. Just kidding.

BBC said...

Who in the hell is this god they speak of?

Unknown said...

BBC have you ever considered professional help for your mental problem? Look at the universe an all that is in it then open your mind!If you do not believe that's your problem.