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Wire Transmission Developed
In 1835, Samuel Morse proved that signals could be transmitted by wire. -
The Electric Telegraph Is Invented
The telegraph is asystem of communication employing electrical apparatus to transmit and receive signals in accordance with a code of electrical pulses. -
The First Public Transmission
The news of the nomination of Henry Clay as the Whig Party's candidate was wired to the nation's capital; a distance of 40 miles. -
Western Union Was Founded
Western Union was founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company -
The First Transcontinental Telegraph Line Was Completed
Western Union completed the first transcontinental telegraph line across North America in 1861 -
The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
The first successful transatlantic telegraph cable was completed, thus allowing transatlantic telegraph communications for the first time -
The Telephone Is Born
Speaking through the instrument to his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, in the next room, Bell utters these famous first words, "Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you." -
Multiple Calls Can Now Be Made
Leroy Firman received the first patent for a telephone switchboard. -
The Strowger Switch
Almon B. Strowger, a Kansas City undertaker, invented a switch that could connect one line to any of 100 lines by using relays and sliders. -
Two-way Communication
Thomas Edison received a patent for a two-way telegraph. -
More Long Distance Transmissions
Spaced every three to six thousand feet, cable circuits were extended three to four times their previous length. Essentially a small electro-magnet, a loading coil or inductance coil strengthens the transmission line by decreasing attenuation, the normal loss of signal strength over distance. -
The End of Morse Code
In 1915, multiplex telegraphy came into use, permitting the transmission of eight or more messages simultaneously. -
AT&T Enters the Scene
AT&T at last introduced large scale automatic switching equipment to their telephone system. -
Bussiness Join In
Commercial long distance radio-telephone service was introduced between the United States and Great Britain. -
The Telephone Reaches the Oval Office
Although the telephone was available to the president in the White House the oval office did not have one. A new two-position switchboard, especially built to meet the President's needs, was installed. -
Digital Transmission
Alec Reeves of Britain invented modern digital transmission when he developed Pulse Code Modulation. -
National Security
The longest open wire communication line in the world began operating between Edmonton, Alberta and Fairbanks, Alaska. -
A Boost In Amplification
Transistors amplify when built into a proper circuit. -
Microwave Towers
The first transcontinental microwave system began operating. By 1958 microwave carrier made up 13,000,000 miles of telephone circuits or one quarter of the nations long distance lines. -
Numerical Dialing
Wichita Falls, Texas was the first American city in the Bell System to institute true number calling, that is, seven numerical digits without letters or names. -
Satellite Service
Telstar 1 allows a call to be made to Lyndon B. Johnson. This marks the first long distance call via satellite. -
The Birth of "Touch Tone"
The first modern touch-tone phone was introduced, the Western Electric 1500. It had only ten buttons. -
HELP!!!
The first 911 call is made made in Haleyville, Alabama. -
On The Go
Martin Cooper of Motorola placed the first "true" mobile call to his research rival at Bell Labs, Joel Engel. -
Fiber Optics
The military and commercial inteties began using fiber optics to greatly enhance their already growing communications methods. -
CELL PHONES!!!!!
Public tests of a new cellular phone system begin in Chicago, with more than 2,000 trial customers and mobile phone sets. The system, constructed by AT&T and Bell Labs, includes a group of small, low-powered transmission towers, each covering an area a few miles in radius. -
Time To Grow
The FCC declared in 1987 that cellular licensees could employ alternative cellular technologies in the 800 MHz band. -
Voice Over Internet Protocols
VoIP services convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. If you are calling a regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination. VoIP can allow you to make a call directly from a computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special adapter. -
The Cell Phone Boom
The number of cellular telephone subscribers in the United States grows to 100 million, from 25,000 in 1984. An increasingly mobile society uses them not only for calling but also to access the Internet, organize schedules, take photographs, and record moving images. -
The Touch Screen
Apple's description of their new 3G phones.
The Apple iPhone 3G offers critical new features including support for high-speed 3G networks, third-party applications, and expanded e-mail. Its call quality is improved and it continues to deliver an excellent music and video experience.
