The Telegraph Was The Most Important Invention Of The 19th Century

The telegraph was one of the most important inventions of the 19th century; however, it has several drawbacks compared to 21st-century devices. For example, telegraphs required a knowledge of Morse Code – their primary means of communication. Telegraphs sent a series of electrical signals via a telegraph wire. The signals could be heard by the operator on the opposite end of the wire as a sequence of long and short clicks. Morse Code represented letters of the alphabet with click patterns, which had to be memorized by the operator.

The very first long telegraph line was being extended all the way from Baltimore to Washington. Messages sent by telegraph took anywhere from a minute to a few minutes, depending on the operator's skill and message