History of the Telegraph

The History of the telegraph is a colorful one.  Never before in the history of man had an application of electricity contributed more towards advancing the convenience and comfort of man than the invention of the Electric Telegraph.  On May 24, 1844, Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph sent the first message: "What hath God wrought!," and with those words, human communication would forever be changed.  The telegraph had the power to convey  thoughts with immeasurable rapidity over land and under sea, enabling communication with friends and places in distant lands. For the first time in human history, the merchant, sitting at his desk, was able to quote to his customer the prices of the hour in cities thousands of miles away ; the statesman, pondering over some knotty question of political economy, turned for reference and assistance to speeches and opinions delivered perhaps but a few hours previous by diplomats in another part of the globe. Millions of dollars were invested in lines of telegraph, and thousands of persons were employed in its construction and operation. To circumscribe the power of electricity and the value of the telegraph were to attempt the impossible ; it vanquished thought in speed, annihilated distance, and moved faster than time itself.