subject: The Progression Of The Telegraph Into The Telephone [print this page] In 1794 Claude Chappe invented the non-electrical telegraph, his system used a semaphore, (a flag based alphabet), and depended on a line of sight to work. In 1809 this optical based telegraph was then replaced with a crude electrical model invented in Bavaria by Samuel Soemmering. He used wires with gold electrodes in water; at the receiving end the message was read by the amount of gas caused by electrolysis. Then in 1828 the first telegraph in the USA was brought about by Harrison Dyar who used electrical sparks to burn dots and dashes into chemically treated paper.
The telegraph really began to build momentum after William Sturgeon invented the electromagnet in Britain in 1825. In 1830 an American inventor (Joseph Henry), demonstrated the potential of William Sturgeons electromagnet for long distance communication by sending an electrical signal through a mile of wire and causing a bell to strike. In 1837 British physicists William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the Wheatstone Telegraph, this used the same principles of electromagnetism. However it was Samuel Morse that truly exploited the electromagnet. Samuel Morse proved that signals could be transmitted through a wire, he sent pulses of current to deflect an electromagnet which would then in turn move a marker to produce written codes on a strip of paper; the invention of Morse Code.
Until 1876 long distance communication was dependant on the telegraph, it was in this year that Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone. Bells telephone came about as a result of trying to improve the telegraph. While there had been telegraphs that could process multiple messages simultaneously available for 30 years. Bell offered his more musical approach. Stating that several notes could be sent simultaneously down the same wire as long as the frequencies were different.
This was known as the harmonic telegraph. In 1875 Bell was experimenting with his harmonic telegraph technique when he noticed that he could hear a sound over a wire. March 10th in 1876 not only marked the birth of the telephone but also the death of the telegraph. A system that could transmit a voice via electrical signals far outweighed any improvements that could be made on a dot and dash system.
In Alexander Graham Bells note book on March 10th 1876 there is a description of the first successful experiment with telephone. Speaking to his assistant, Thomas Watson, Bell says these words: Mr Watson come here, I want to see you.
