telegraphic message

“What hath God wrought?” was the first telegraphic message sent by Samuel F. B. Morse, dispatched from D.C. to an assistant in Baltimore in 1844, according to the Library of Congress.

“We had occasion to send a telegraphic message to our correspondent in London, through the Atlantic Cable, consisting of exactly twenty words. According to the published schedule, that should have gone forward for £20 sterling, but the director at this end charged £24, or $120 in gold, so as to cover the date of transmission. We wish the Submarine Telegraph Company success, but it seems to us impossible that the public can submit to such exorbitant, and as it appears to us, unreasonable charges.”

That key sent a telegraphic message across the continent to the bridge deck.

That hit-the-button moment on Jan. 24, 2003 can’t quite compare with Cyrus Field’s first transatlantic telegraphic message or the flick of George Westinghouse’s electric switch at the World’s Columbian Exposition.

On the 24th the blessing of the Holy Father reached her by a telegraphic message.