"Voices Of The Past -
Telecommunications History"

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When you stop to consider how far we have come in such a short time for communicating with others on a global scale, telecommunications history is a fascinating exploration. The word telecommunication is derived from the Greek word, "tele", which means, "far off"; and the Latin word, "communicare", which means, "to share".

People tend to think of telecommunications in terms of telephones, computer networks, Internet, and maybe even cable television. But the true nature of telecommunications is the passing of information to one or more others in any form that may be used.

This includes the often-considered electrical, electromagnetic, and optical means already mentioned, but it also includes simple wire, radio, or even other visual forms. The following is a brief look at some of the less thought of forms of communication that are worthy of inclusion in the annals of telecommunications history.

Early Telecommunications History

Some of the earliest forms of telecommunication were so simplistic that they are rarely considered in the ranks of today's modern technology. And yet, these were great achievements for the people of the time. Some of the earliest forms included smoke signals, which were not only used by indigenous people, but in signal towers across the world.

These towers also used polished glass in the form of mirrors to flash relayed signals along a chain of towers set in strategic places. Think also of the light system used in the Revolutionary War. "One if by land, two if by sea", was a definite signal set in a tower for the transmission of the famous message across a considerable distance.

Carrier pigeons were another earlier form of long-distance communication. When you stop to think about it, for as long as man has realized that there were people across great distances, there have been methods developed to communicate across those spans of distance. These early tools were definitely more simplistic than those used today, but they are still an integral part of the examination of how far we have come.

Advancing Telecommunications History

Moving to the wired age of telecommunications, the first public demonstration of the Morse code electric telegraph was in 1844. By 1866, the world was wired into this brand of telecommunications service.

In 1875, Jean-Maurice-Emile Baudot created the first printable telegraph, using a code similar to the forerunner code of 1s and 0s used in today's standard computers. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell filed for a patent on his invention - and the rest is well-known telecommunications history.