It is amazing to see the in-depth coverage regarding the creation of pre-modern communication. One misconception I had about the telegraph was that it was invented by ones man with no varying difference. The fact however is the telegraph has a wide array of inventers and co-inventers throughout the world. (Primarily North America and Europe)
Optical telegraphs first dominated the network scene in France with inventor Claude Chappe. Napoleon later used this for European domination. The rest of Europe slowly begins adapting this network instead of the typical carrier service.
Electrical telegraphs were later invented my William Cooke and after initial struggle, was able to construct a line following the Great Western Railway.
Samuel Morse could’ve have been a lot more successful than he really was if more people believed in him and his telegraph. His Morse Code which was co-invented with Alfred Vail became an international standard and still used in modern society.
An evitable problem that the many of the entrepreneurs faced in starting the telegraph was governmental support. New inventions such as the telegraph needed backing from higher authority and for the most part were shunned. It wasn’t until the benefits such as catching thieves and cutting down messenger time dramatically was the government actually became interested.
4 comments:
One thing I found inspiring is how these entrepreneurs - facing a mountain of opposition - held strong to thier ambition and came out on top. They didnt do so by waiting for someone to come scoup up their ideas and run, but realized the only way they were going to make it happen is by getting out there and making it happen. Build the prototypes and demonstrate their power to the world.
As reading about the entrepreneurs I was thinking that I want to be one. They are the ones who made more money than Morse himself. I believe that if any of us put our heads to it we could become very rich off starting flourishing businesses from new technologies. All we have to do is study the past, ask alot of questions, and think like mad about what can come of the future. The next generation of technology is already here, and it wont be going backwards in any way.
I learned quite a bit regarding the IT of the Victorian age as well. I mentioned in another comment, that its funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Following this line of reason I enjoyed reading how the "personality issue" was a major part of the development of the telegaph. Inventors, financial backers, patent offices, government regulaion, all of these things involved, then, and even today, the interactions of different personalities. Morse and his crew didn't get along well with their British counter parts, etc. etc. I guess with any new IT, there will always be the human factor, thats why it exist in the first place, to facilitate information.
I do not think that breaking into new technologies and becoming very rich is that easy. While these men faced the challenge of inventing a new technology to connect the world, we are stuck on modifying existing technologies in order to better serve us. I feel as though these men are a special breed. Their determination and unwillingness to quit even when the odds were against them is not a quality that is shared among the human race as a whole. I thing in order to get rich off of new IT you either have to come up with something off the wall, or improve upon something that is already there. It would take a very talented individual to create, now getting rich off of the creation of others is easy business. Take all the web sites that started during the Internet boom. Basically, I just wish I had created Amazon.com.
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