Telephone and telegraph
Topic: World Transport and Communication · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
The telegraph and the telephone were the first ways to send messages quickly over long distances. The telegraph sent coded signals along wires. The telephone carried the human voice. Both freed messages from slow transport and changed how countries grew. The telephone is still the most widely used mode of communication. Satellite-linked cell phones now connect villages in developing countries.
Example
In the USA, the telegraph helped people settle the American West. AT&T held a monopoly on US telephones in the early and mid-20th century, meaning it was the only company running the service. The telephone helped US cities grow: firms ran head offices in big cities and controlled branch offices in small towns by phone.
Don't confuse with
- Telex: a later system that sent typed messages between machines over telephone lines. Like the telegraph, it is now almost obsolete. The telephone carries voice.