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Patent
The telegraph is patented for the first time in England, though not the design is not commonly recognized. -
Morse Code
This is believed to be the time which the Morse code language was completed. -
Commercialization
The first commercial telegraph line was created, going from New York to Washington D.C/ Baltimore. The first message was "What hath God wrought!", which was a bible verse from Numbers. (Numbers 23:23) -
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Government Use
The Telegram began to be used by governments. When World War 1 broke out, combatant ships were outfitted with telegrams, allowing the ship to contact others and to communicate with bases on land, though governments were afraid to send ships to combat, as they were expensive. They were also used in the trenches of the war but were highly susceptible to being damaged or broken, forcing troops to use slower means of communication, such as a pigeon, dogs, or even humans. -
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Use in War
At the beginning of the Second World War, there were enough advancements to have soldiers outfitted with radios, but they were prone to malfunction. A common use of the telegraph was long-range communication between bases and the front line. A common historical use of the telegram during this time was the Nazis and the Enigma machine, an encrypted version of the language used by the telegraph, which was Morse code. -
Cut Lines
At the outbreak of World War Two, most German-owned lines were cut, and in retaliation, British lines were then cut. The destruction of communication channels slowed down world trade and angered some countries. -
The Long Telegram
The “Long Telegram” was a telegram sent by the foreign American diplomat, George Kennan, from Moscow, Russia to the Secretary of State, James Byrnes, in Washington D.C. The five thousand word telegram detailed how to counter Soviet goals around the world, and the telegram was a great influence on US policies in the latter half of the 20th century. -
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The Downfall
For the first time, a telephone call was cheaper than a telegraph message, one of the major points leading to the downfall of the telegraph.