On April 2, 1872, telegraph inventor Samuel Morse died.
Samuel Morse was born on April 27, 1791 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He attended Yale College where he studied religious philosophy, mathematics, and the science of horses. Morse frequently attended lectures on electricity and supported himself by painting.
Morse’s painting ability proved to be a true talent and in 1811 he was recruited to study at the Royal Academy in England. He was particularly inspired by the works of Michelangelo and Raphael and produced a number of impressive paintings. Morse then returned to America 1815 to begin his career as a full-time painter. For the next 10 years he painted several major figures, including Presidents John Adams and James Monroe. He also helped found the National Academy of Design in New York City and served as its first president.
In 1825, Morse had the honor of painting Marquis de Lafayette. While he was working, he received a letter by horse messenger from his father telling him his wife was very ill. The next day he received another letter saying she had died. By the time he returned home, she’d already been buried. Morse was distraught over the loss and upset he hadn’t received the news of her poor health sooner. He then resolved to find a faster means of long distance communication.
Morse continued painting and traveling, leading him to meet an expert in electromagnetism in 1832. After witnessing his experiments with electromagnets, Morse developed the idea of the single-wire telegraph. Though other inventors in Europe were also working on their own telegraphs, Morse continued work on his own. He received his patent in 1837. Morse and his assistant Alfred Vail created Morse Code to transmit messages over telegraph and continued to refine the system over the next few years.
In 1844, Morse built an experimental line from the old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., to the Mt. Clare Depot in Baltimore, Maryland. Morse sent the first message, “What hath God wrought,” a quote from the book of Numbers in the Bible. Commercial telegraphy took off in America after that. In 1851, Morse’s telegraphic design was adopted as the standard in Europe as well. By the time the Civil War began, telegraph lines were strung from coast to coast, making almost instant communication possible.
Morse later worked on the transatlantic cable and invented a marble-cutting machine, before his death on April 2, 1872.
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The article about Samuel Morse was beyond incredible particularly after seeing his artwork. Everyone is aware of his invention but I was totally unaware of his artistic brilliance. I was captivated by the quote in the section [Early Life] subtitled: Growing Artist. “Attend to one thing at a time. The steady and undissipated attention to one object is the sure mark of a superior genius” -Jedidiah Morse, father of Samuel F B Morse- I will have to read about Woodrow Wilson tomorrow.
I didn’t realize how old his telegraph using magnetism invention is. Single wire telegraph replaced smoke signals…..a giant leap forward for communications.
WOW ! I wish that these stories would be in all schools..So much more interesting than current history books.
All the ” This Day In History” are grate.
Morse is buried in Greenwood Cemetery Brooklyn New York. His massive tombstone is very impressive.