The Victorian Internet
In short: Generations before the internet, semaphore towers, electric wires and an Atlantic cable made near-instant long-distance communication real, and their message codes laid groundwork that today's networks still use.
A 2:06 short film in the series “Lost Futures”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Claude Chappe | Inventor, Semaphore, Telegraph | Britannica”; Smithsonian National Museum of American History, “"What Hath God Wrought" Telegraph Message”; The Cipher Museum (ciphermuseum.com), “Commercial Telegraph Codebooks (ABC, Bentley’s, Lieber’s · 1870s–1930s) — The Cipher Museum”; Library of Congress, “Research Guides: This Month in Business History: First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Sent”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Transatlantic cable | communications | Britannica”; Past in Practice (pastinpractice.com), “The Transatlantic Telegraph Became Permanent in 1866 When Engineers Retrieved a Lost Cable from the Seabed”; Trinity College Dublin (Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute), news article, 12 November 2021, “‘The Wire that Changed the World’ – Trinity event examines legacy of 1858 Valentia-Newfoundland transatlantic cable ”; LSE Business Review (London School of Economics and Political Science); article originally in CentrePiece, the magazine of LSE's Centre for Economic Performance, “The trade impact of the transatlantic telegraph - LSE Business Review”; Internet Society (paper by Barry M. Leiner, Vinton G. Cerf, David D. Clark, Robert E. Kahn, Leonard Kleinrock, Daniel C. Lynch, Jon Postel, Larry G. Roberts and Stephen Wolff, published 1997), “A Brief History of the Internet - Internet Society”; History Oasis, “The Optical Telegraph: The First Telegraph System”; Wiley, “The Early History of Data Networks”; PBS / WGBH, American Experience, “The Great Transatlantic Cable | American Experience | PBS”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Telegraph - Electrical Signals, Morse Code, Communication | Britannica”; Taylor & Francis (Cryptologia journal), “Compression, correction, confidentiality, and comprehension: a modern look at telegraph codebooks”.
Sources used in this film
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Claude Chappe | Inventor, Semaphore, Telegraph | Britannica · View →
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History — "What Hath God Wrought" Telegraph Message · View →
- The Cipher Museum (ciphermuseum.com) — Commercial Telegraph Codebooks (ABC, Bentley’s, Lieber’s · 1870s–1930s) — The Cipher Museum · View →
- Library of Congress — Research Guides: This Month in Business History: First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Sent · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Transatlantic cable | communications | Britannica · View →
- Past in Practice (pastinpractice.com) — The Transatlantic Telegraph Became Permanent in 1866 When Engineers Retrieved a Lost Cable from the Seabed · View →
- Trinity College Dublin (Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute), news article, 12 November 2021 — ‘The Wire that Changed the World’ – Trinity event examines legacy of 1858 Valentia-Newfoundland transatlantic cable · View →
- LSE Business Review (London School of Economics and Political Science); article originally in CentrePiece, the magazine of LSE's Centre for Economic Performance — The trade impact of the transatlantic telegraph - LSE Business Review · View →
- Internet Society (paper by Barry M. Leiner, Vinton G. Cerf, David D. Clark, Robert E. Kahn, Leonard Kleinrock, Daniel C. Lynch, Jon Postel, Larry G. Roberts and Stephen Wolff, published 1997) — A Brief History of the Internet - Internet Society · View →
- History Oasis — The Optical Telegraph: The First Telegraph System · View →
- Wiley — The Early History of Data Networks · View →
- PBS / WGBH, American Experience — The Great Transatlantic Cable | American Experience | PBS · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Telegraph - Electrical Signals, Morse Code, Communication | Britannica · View →
- Taylor & Francis (Cryptologia journal) — Compression, correction, confidentiality, and comprehension: a modern look at telegraph codebooks · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Claude Chappe | Inventor, Semaphore, Telegraph | Britannica
- Also: Smithsonian National Museum of American History: "What Hath God Wrought" Telegraph Message
- Also: The Cipher Museum (ciphermuseum.com): Commercial Telegraph Codebooks (ABC, Bentley’s, Lieber’s · 1870s–1930s) — The Cipher Museum
- Also: Library of Congress: Research Guides: This Month in Business History: First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Sent
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Transatlantic cable | communications | Britannica
- Also: Past in Practice (pastinpractice.com): The Transatlantic Telegraph Became Permanent in 1866 When Engineers Retrieved a Lost Cable from the Seabed
- Also: Trinity College Dublin (Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute), news article, 12 November 2021: ‘The Wire that Changed the World’ – Trinity event examines legacy of 1858 Valentia-Newfoundland transatlantic cable
- Also: LSE Business Review (London School of Economics and Political Science); article originally in CentrePiece, the magazine : The trade impact of the transatlantic telegraph - LSE Business Review
- Also: Internet Society (paper by Barry M. Leiner, Vinton G. Cerf, David D. Clark, Robert E. Kahn, Leonard Kleinrock, Daniel C.: A Brief History of the Internet - Internet Society
- Also: History Oasis: The Optical Telegraph: The First Telegraph System
- Also: Wiley: The Early History of Data Networks
- Also: PBS / WGBH, American Experience: The Great Transatlantic Cable | American Experience | PBS
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Telegraph - Electrical Signals, Morse Code, Communication | Britannica
- Also: Taylor & Francis (Cryptologia journal): Compression, correction, confidentiality, and comprehension: a modern look at telegraph codebooks
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