Article ID: CBB001180002

Two controversies in the early history of telegraphy (2010)

unapi

Description Two related questions emerge from these controversies over the invention and early commercialization of the telegraph. First, how could Morse, a man with little scientific training or mechanical skill, invent the telegraph? Second, how should we apportion credit for the telegraph among Morse, Henry, and Vail?The author's conclusion is clear: Morse was the one who succeeded in reducing the invention of telegraphy in the United States to practice, but he relied on the substantialcontributions to the then-new science of electricity by Henry and the mechanical ingenuity of Vail. Without the help of either one, the Morse telegraph would not have been successful as a commercial system. As another interesting note, the author points out that the Morse code was developed by Morse himself, despite frequent comments that Vail was the one who developed the code. (from the abstract)


Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001180002/

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Authors & Contributors
Hochfelder, David P.
Gillespie, Sarah
John, Richard R.
Hellemans, Frank
Carey, J.
Young, Davis A.
Concepts
Telegraphy
Telegraphs; telephones
Electricity and Electrical Power
Daguerreotype
Technological innovation
Geology
Time Periods
19th century
20th century, early
20th century
18th century
Places
United States
Michigan (U.S.)
France
Great Britain
Institutions
Princeton University
United States. Patent Office
Smithsonian Institution
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