What is a telegraph Britannica?

telegraph, any device or system that allows the transmission of information by coded signal over distance.

What grade level is Britannica Kids?

UP TO GRADE 5 Elementary students have a safe place to search, discover, and explore with Britannica Kids!

How was the telegraph invented for kids?

In Great Britain two inventors built a telegraph that used six wires and five needles. A part called the transmitter sent electric currents through the wires. At the other end, the currents moved needles on a part called the receiver. The receiver had a special plate with letters and numbers on it.

What age is the telegraph for?

The idea behind the telegraph – sending electric signals across wires – originated in the early 1700s, and by 1798 a rough system was used in France.

What are telegraphs used for?

A telegraph is a communication system that sends information by making and breaking an electrical connection. It is most associated with sending electrical current pulses along a wire with Morse code encoding.

What was the purpose of the telegraph?

The telegraph, a device which used electric impulses to transmit encoded messages over a wire, would eventually revolutionize long-distance communication, reaching the height of its popularity in the 1920s and 1930s.

Is Britannica good for kids?

Britannica Kids is an excellent homework resource. Key school subjects from kindergarten through high school are covered extensively and correlated to curriculum standards (STEM, Common Core and more) in a fun and enriching environment.

What was a telegram used for?

A telegraph is a device for transmitting and receiving messages over long distances, i.e., for telegraphy. The word telegraph alone now generally refers to an electrical telegraph. Wireless telegraphy is transmission of messages over radio with telegraphic codes.

How did a telegraph work?

Developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse (1791-1872) and other inventors, the telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations.

What is telegraph used for?

Who invented the telegraph?

Inventor Samuel Morse
Inventor Samuel Morse developed the telegraph system. Morse’s system sent out a signal in a series of dots and dashes, each combination representing one letter of the alphabet (“Morse code”). The inventor submitted a patent for his device, which he called “The American Recording Electro-Magnetic Telegraph” in 1837.