TELEGRAPH/MORSE CODE

TELEGRAPH/MORSE CODE

 

Morse code initially sparked my interest as a world changing media technology but I quickly realized that the Morse Code would not exist without the telegraph. The telegraph in the United States was invented in1828 by a gentleman named Harrison Dyar. However, a very rudimentary telegraph was invented in 1809 by Samuel Soemmering in Bavaria prior to Dyar’s invention. In 1835, Samuel Morse,”proved that signals could be transmitted by wire. He used pulses of current to deflect an electromagnet, which moved a marker to produce written codes on a strip of paper - the invention of Morse Code” (Bellis, 2014). With the invention of the telegraph and Morse Code, Samuel Morse created a forum for international communication. This was also a pivotal development in the future development of telephones and then cell phones. So much of our modern day media technology can be traced back to the telegraph and Morse Code.  Western Union played an important role in the progression of the telegraph and the establishment of the telephone. “In 1959 Western Union inaugurated TELEX, which enables subscribers to the teleprinter service to dial each other directly” (Bellis, 2014). This was groundbreaking at the time. Western Union still holds a place in the world of media technology by offering a number of advanced technological services.