Fifty years before the invention of the telegraph and almost 100 years before the telephone, the government of France was able to send messages to many parts of Europe at speeds of 1,500 miles an hour.
From Paris, the emperor of France could send instructions to his generals on the Rhine River 150 miles away, in six minutes. How?
Using a system invented in 1792 by Claude Chappe. Towers were built all over France and many other parts of Europe. On top of each tower were two giant arms that could be seen with the aid of a telescope at a distance of ten miles.
By placing the arms in different positions, the operator was able to spell out a message, which would be picked up by the next tower and repeated tower after tower until the message had reached its destination.
The towers were called semaphores, and a semaphore code is still taught and used by most of the armies and navies of the world.
A semaphore telegraph is also known as an optical telegraph, shutter telegraph chain, or Chappe telegraph. Semaphore lines led to the invention of the electrical telegraph.
Related Posts
-
Who Invented the First Computer and When was the First Computer Invented?
Who invented the first computer? The answer depends on your definition of a computer. The first known counting devices or tools were Tally Sticks from about 35,000 BC. The Abacus was then invented…
-
Who Invented the Bathtub and When Was the First Modern Bathtub Invented?
For eons people have used stone, brick, or wooden tubs to bathe in, in or around the home. But two men significantly affected the bathtub as we know it today. John Kohler, a…
-
Who invented calculus and what does the word mean?
The Pythagoreans-ancient Greek followers of the mathematician Pythagoras-were a brilliant lot. They came up with the mathematical truism, The square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the…
-
Who Invented Steel and when was it first Discovered and Produced?
By all indications, steel was first discovered and produced in eastern Africa sometime around 1400 B.C. The technology spread slowly; it wasn't until the first century A.D. that the rest of the continent…
-
How Does a Glass Drinking Bird Work and Who Invented the Drinking Dipping Bird?
Drinking birds, also known as dipping birds, are toy heat engines that mimic the motions of a bird drinking water. The drinking bird was invented by Miles V. Sullivan in 1945 and patented…
-
15 Inventions You Wish You Invented
The Ejector Seat Although it looks funny in action, the ejector seat has saved thousands of lives since its invention in the middle of the 20th century. Supersonic Seats. An ejector seat is…
