Jim Wilson
Telegraph Expert & Consultant on the movie Lincoln
Jim Wilson. M. V. Jantzen.
"Steven Spielberg’s new film 'Lincoln' shows the importance of the telegraph during the war years. Telegraph enthusiasts Jim Wilson and his son Matt helped the renowned filmmaker attain a level of historical authenticity as it pertains to the telegraph of that era.
Jim Wilson is the longtime editor of Dots & Dashes, the official publication of the Morse Telegraph Club Inc. For years, he and his son have participated in Civil War re-enactments as telegraph operators of the period."
-Times Dispatch.com., 23 December, 2012
Jim Wilson is the longtime editor of Dots & Dashes, the official publication of the Morse Telegraph Club Inc. For years, he and his son have participated in Civil War re-enactments as telegraph operators of the period."
-Times Dispatch.com., 23 December, 2012
Please explain the evolution of Samuel Morse's idea for his telegraph:
During the 1830's competition was fierce for the invention of long range communications. Samuel Morse and his business partner Alfred Vail jointly invented the telegraph instrument. Vail invented the Morse code; says so on his grave stone! I have been to the lab in Morristown, NJ where Morse & Vail had their lab. This museum is fascinating. In fact, if Morse had found success as a painter, he would not likely ever have dabbled with the telegraph. Let this be a valuable life lesson! How did Samuel Morse's telegraph impact today's technology? The telegraph was the first practical use of electricity, and a forerunner of today's e-mail. At the time, Webster's Dictionary defined electricity as "an interesting phenominon of no practical value." Do you think Danial Webster got that wrong? |
Please explain the historical impact of Samuel Morse's Telegraph:
The telegraph was demonstrated to Congress on may 24, 1844. Less than twenty years later, both sides during the Civil War (1861-1865) used the telegraph extensively. Indeed, if not for the telegraph, President Lincoln could have lost the war. Did you see the recent Spielberg film, titled "Lincoln?" In that drama, My son, Matt is the telegraph operator on the steps of the 1865 capital, transmitting the votes on the thirteenth amendment to General Grant at City Point. Railroads in the U.S. began to take off in 1846, in large part due to the telegraph. Railroad and telegraph poles followed the same alignment. The telegraph put the Pony Express out of business. The telephone was invented in 1878, but the telegraph persisted into the 1960s! |