Once upon a different time, the world was much different than it is now. There were no computers or televisions for human entertainment. No McDonalds of KFC either. People lived of the land, eating what they grew. If someone in England wanted to send a message to someone in Scotland, it would be a long process, either by boat or horseback. Messages often took months to travel back and forth. Primitive life was much slower. But primitive living gave opportunity for exciting inventions.
Our story brings us to France. At the time, France was split in revolution. The land was once ruled under a monarchy with kings and queens. The country was at civil war, in attempt to establish a self-governing legislation. It was a time of chaos. But it is where we meet our man, Claude Chappe, the inventor of the first telegraph.
Claude was from a well to do family in the town of Brulon in north France. He came from a family of many brothers and high expectations. His mother and father were not to happy when his position as a clergy member was overturned by the Revolution, and even less happy when he took up scientific research.
Claude and his brother Abraham worked together. Well…actually, Abraham was more of his assistant. Together the two of them tried to develop the latest scientific achievement, creating an electrical signaling device. They used static electricity to send a current far distance, but couldn’t come up with a system that worked consistently.
Then one sunny day, Claude was in his bed sleeping when all of a sudden he heard a loud “Clang-cu-Clung”. It woke him at once. He ran down three flights of stairs to see his maid, Eldred, hunched over, collecting brass pots and bowls.
“Eeeh, gads, Eldred!” Claude exclaimed, and he grabbed a large casserole dish from her hands and ran off, leaving Eldred rather perplexed. He went right to Abraham, who was more interested in getting his full eight hours of sleep than a brass dish. But Claude jumped on his bed, until he was up. Claude and Abraham took the dish and went outside to the meadow.
Claude and Abraham had discovered the first concept of sending messages across a far distance. Claude would stand with the brass dish and a wood spoon and strike it. The “clang” sound the dish made carried within Abraham’s range of sound, about tem yards off. Abraham would then time the difference between clangs, using a special watch. It went twice as fast as normal watches, and only had ten digits instead of twelve. Abraham timed the intervals and came up with a number. They used a numbered dictionary as a codebook. They successfully dispatched simple messages in two and three digit codes. Claude’s idea was a success, but didn’t travel all to far.
They decided to replace the brass dishes with something louder. They tried various materials but could not develop anything that went much further beyond the range the brass made. Then Claude realized he should change the sound concept to visual. The two brothers constructed two five-foot tall wooden panels, and painted one side white and the other black. The panels were constructed to pivot easily. This design achieved distance, especially with the use of a telescope.
The brothers tried their device on March 2, 1791. They invited some of Brulon’s local officials to whiteness their contraption. They set up in a castle in town and in a house in the town of Parce, ten miles away. Claude sent the message to his brother: If we succeed, we will soon bask in glory!
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