How the Telegraph Changed the World

Description

Invented in the 1830's, the telegraph soon became indispensable. By 1851 there were more than 50 companies providing telegraphic service in the United States alone. The telegraph played a pivotal role in warfare beginning with the American Civil War, featured prominently in the creation of the first large American corporation, Western Union, and made possible long distance communication with the laying of the transatlantic cable. This book describes the global impact of the telegraph from its advent to its eventual eclipse by the telephone four decades later. Cover Table of Contents Preface Introduction 1. Samuel Morse’s Invention Through the Eyes of the Newspapers 2. Diplomacy 3. The Telegraph and the American Civil War 4. The Telegraph and Abraham Lincoln 5. The Atlantic Cable 6. The Telegraph and the Railroads 7. The Telegraph and Business 8. The Telegraph and the Press 9. Western Union 10. The Telegraph Workers and Unionism Conclusion Chapter Notes Bibliography Index