![]() ![]() Numerous issues plagued optical messaging. ![]() Transmission of messages via electric current Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring’s 1810 galvanic telegraph. In part, Napoleon Bonaparte‘s military success may be ascribed to his use of these semaphore telegraph towers, which allowed him to issue orders rapidly and efficiently. Within minutes of their installation, these systems were able to notify all of France of crucial occurrences. Those semaphore telegraph towers were one of the first examples of optical messaging.Ī Chappe tower that was used to send messages showed various letters depending on where the pointer was placed.Ī portion of the letters is seen in the bottom of the above drawing. It was called Chappe’s telegraph and also known as Napoleon’s semaphore telegraph. Heliography comes from “helios,” meaning “sun” in Greek, and “graphein”, “writing.” Chappe’s semaphore telegraphĪ route for the optical transmission of messages between Paris and Lille, invented by the Chappe brothers at the end of the 18th century and requiring 22 intermediate stations, was established in France. In the future, Emperor Tiberius utilized heliographs to issue daily commands from his residence on Capri to the mainland, which were subsequently broadcast to Rome. In combat, bursts of light were created by combining sunlight with polished shields to serve as signals. HeliographĪnother earlier method of message delivery, “ heliograph,” may also be traced back to the ancient Greeks. The idiom “ the news spread like wildfire” most likely refers to this or a related method of spreading information. ![]() Long distance messages were sent by lighting massive flames atop distant mountains at night. In his play “Agamemnon,” Aeschylus (525–456 BC) describes the use of “phryctoria” to convey the fall of Troy to the people of Mycenae. During the night, large flames were lighted on mountains to send messages. The towers were used to broadcast messages. These beacon towers were usually located 20 miles away from each other. The towers were called “ phryctoriae” and they were constructed on certain mountains such that each tower could be seen from the next. The ancient Greeks invented a semaphore system called Phryctoria. Phryctoria (Credit: Beacon Tower by J-Humphries, DeviantArt) Hills and other impediments littered the route, leaving Pheidippides tired and his feet bleeding by the time he finally made it to Athens. The most well-known is that Athens learned of the triumph of its army against the Persians at the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) through a messenger who sprinted the roughly 25-mile (40 km) trip from Marathon to Athens to herald the magnificent victory of Miltiades and then slumped dead upon reaching his destination. Previously, communications were sent using messengers. The origin of the modern marathon can be traced back to the story of the messenger Pheidippides, who ran 25 miles to carry news of the Persian defeat to Athens. Delivering a message by courier Luc-Olivier Merson (1869) It’s practically impossible for a communication to be lost in transit nowadays, regardless of how far it needs to go or whether there are obstacles such as bad weather. We are used to receiving news from all around the globe through various media outlets. These days, when you need to get a message through to someone who is farther away, you pull out your phone and type away. History of delivering a message is creative and interesting. Transmission of messages via electric current ![]()
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