Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Science and Technology
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-18-2018, 07:00 PM
 
1,087 posts, read 779,082 times
Reputation: 763

Advertisements

I believe one of the "Ts" in the name AT&T is telegraph, did you ever use it personally? My understanding is, this was privileged transmission, expensive and only high level people had access to it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-18-2018, 07:12 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,430 posts, read 86,526,431 times
Reputation: 131279
Yes. I was "exposed" to it many times.
Telegraph is a device used to send telegrams.
Sending and receiving telegrams was expensive but not a privileged transmission for high level people. Telegrams were sent and received at the Post office, and hand delivered by a courier immediately after it was received 24/7
I personally know how to operate a teleprinter. I think that this system in the US was called Telex.

AT&T - American Telephone & Telegraph

Last edited by elnina; 12-18-2018 at 07:35 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-18-2018, 09:13 PM
 
Location: Aurora Denveralis
8,712 posts, read 6,717,540 times
Reputation: 13502
Sure, the big three high-speed communications systems of the 20th century: telephone, telegraph and tell-a-woman.

(Sorry, ca. 1953 joke. Shoot me.)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-19-2018, 05:03 AM
 
11,230 posts, read 9,246,568 times
Reputation: 32251
Quote:
Originally Posted by 6oo9 View Post
I believe one of the "Ts" in the name AT&T is telegraph, did you ever use it personally? My understanding is, this was privileged transmission, expensive and only high level people had access to it.
Wow. Just... wow.


Telegraphy was the primary high speed long distance communication through the mid-1900s. Up till the early 70s, long distance phone calls were expensive and reserved for special situations. How do you think a soldier who had an unexpected leave told his mom to come meet him at the station on Wednesday when his train got in at 11:30 am?


Everyone, and I mean everyone, sent telegrams.


Haven't you seen the photographs of the telegraph operators at the train stations, even in little tiny burgs? Haven't you read any books (whether fiction or non-fiction) set in the years between 1860 and 1960, where reference is made to


Western Union
Telegrams
Cables


etc.


?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-19-2018, 06:36 AM
 
5,718 posts, read 7,231,474 times
Reputation: 10798
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quietude View Post
Sure, the big three high-speed communications systems of the 20th century: telephone, telegraph and tell-a-woman.

(Sorry, ca. 1953 joke. Shoot me.)

From TV show "Sledge Hammer!" -


Detective Dori Doreau (Hammer's partner): Sledge! Why didn't you let me know Captain Trunk was alive?

Inspector Sledge Hammer: Because you're a woman - and you have a telephone.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-19-2018, 12:33 PM
 
Location: King County, WA
15,742 posts, read 6,451,442 times
Reputation: 13203
A telegram is how we found out my Grandfather in England was dying. Haven't used it since then though. Early on AT&T declined to invest in packet-switching network technology. The rest, as they say, is history.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-19-2018, 10:24 PM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,593,875 times
Reputation: 37905
My grandfather was a telegrapher for the railroads. We always had a few keys sitting around. He taught me to do code, but as usual, use it or lose it.

Telegraph key

Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-20-2018, 01:50 PM
 
46,896 posts, read 25,866,768 times
Reputation: 29360
Even when telephony was widespread and common, telegrams carried a certain gravitas. You could have them delivered on specialized forms for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. A definite cool factor.

And of course, my country has the 1942 Telegram Crisis as part of our history - when King Christian X snubbed Hitler as only royalty can snub a corporal who's grown too big for his britches.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegram_Crisis
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-20-2018, 02:27 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,430 posts, read 86,526,431 times
Reputation: 131279
Quote:
Originally Posted by turf3 View Post
Wow. Just... wow.


Telegraphy was the primary high speed long distance communication through the mid-1900s. Up till the early 70s, long distance phone calls were expensive and reserved for special situations. How do you think a soldier who had an unexpected leave told his mom to come meet him at the station on Wednesday when his train got in at 11:30 am?


Everyone, and I mean everyone, sent telegrams.


Haven't you seen the photographs of the telegraph operators at the train stations, even in little tiny burgs? Haven't you read any books (whether fiction or non-fiction) set in the years between 1860 and 1960, where reference is made to


Western Union
Telegrams
Cables


etc.


?

No reason to "wow". Young generation don't know that, nor ever saw a telegram form or how it works. This operation ceased in the mid 80's in most developed countries. Not sure who still use it nowadays.

Here is an example:
http://www.ferraristuff.com/contents...i_250_GTE.html

Some were printed from a machine and pasted on a form, later on they were received by the phone and handwritten on a telegram form.

Note:
Looks like telegrams are still sent and received:
https://www.americantelegram.com/han...xoC8cAQAvD_BwE

Last edited by elnina; 12-20-2018 at 02:46 PM.. Reason: Link added
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-20-2018, 07:15 PM
 
5,718 posts, read 7,231,474 times
Reputation: 10798

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcge2dn_ILA
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Science and Technology
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:54 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top