Morse's Telegraph Office

About

Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts. My father was a prominent pastor and geographer. I studied art at Yale and the Royal Academy in London. For 20 years I was a professional painter. Then my wife Lucretia died while I was away painting a portrait. By the time the letter reached me, she was already buried. I never got to say goodbye. That grief drove the telegraph. On May 24, 1844: What hath God wrought -- sent from Washington to Baltimore. Tip: My code was not arbitrary. I visited a printer shop and counted which letters had the most type pieces. E was most common, so E gets a single dot. Always optimize for the common case. Alfred Vail helped me refine the system. Give collaborators credit.

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