A D V E N T U R E S in C Y B E R S O U N D"What Hath God Wrought" May 24, 1844
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"Come here Watson, I want you," were the words Alexander Graham Bell told to his assistant Watson. These words were the first ever heard over telephone lines, and launched the telecommunications industry. The nation also remembers the first electronic long distance message sent: "What Hath God Wrought" by Samuel F. B. Morse. Morse's successful message jump-started a technological boom that revolutionized long distance communication, and his efforts are still recognized today with the growth of the Internet and information superhighway. Morse, however, did not invent electrical long-distance communication; he perfected a device that had been thought of decades before his time and wrote a language to communicate using the device. Morse's significance is his development of and successful attempts of long-distance communication using telegraphy and his creation of what became known as the Morse Code, arguably one of the most influential and beneficial inventions in American history. In the end, his achievements began one of the most important revolutions in American history: the communication revolution. When examining Morse's personal background, telegraphy would appear to be last on his list of interests. "Born into a distinguished New England family in 1791, Morse was trained as a painter, at which profession he scraped a most inadequate living during much of his life." He developed this interest in painting about the age of four, and found school to be quite uneventful. He tended to focus on drawing and art, as opposed to his studies, even when he was at Yale, which he attended from 1805-1810. His junior year there he began painting and gained recognition for some of his work. His accomplishments as a painter were quite impressive and recognized, and will be discussed later. Morse, however, never fully committed himself; though greatly recognized and appreciated as an artist, he did not develop a passion that completely consumed him. He continued to muddle along in life, getting ideas from a wide variety of areas, until he decided to venture to Europe in 1832. More did not accomplish much there, and returned home on a ship called the Sully. He spent one lunch aboard the ship talking with Dr. Charles Thomas Jackson, a scientist returning from laboratory studies in Europe. They got to discussing the experiments using the newly discovered electromagnet, and it finally seemed Morse had found something he liked. In fact, he spent the rest of the trip discussing with fellow passengers the possibilities of electromagnetic communication. Little did Morse know, however, that this type of communication had been thought of and tested decades before, but was never perfected nor seemed practical. That memorable voyage, though, marked not only the birth of Morse's interest in communication using electricity, but also the end of his life as a painter. Morse now had a sense of direction, purpose, and motivation. He began talking to a number of colleagues and experts to gather as much information as they knew. He filled notebooks with sketches and drawings, which he would not have had the vision for had he not painted for so many years. He also realized he would need a code for each letter to communicate, which led to his greatest contribution: the Morse Code. He studied the English language for an extended period of time to determine the most popular letters and numbers; perhaps the most impressive part of his work leading up to the creation of the code is the fact that he had the insight and brilliance to assign the simplest patterns of to the most common letters. Though he initially included only letters, Morse later added numbers and punctuation marks in his code so complete messages could be sent. While working on the code, Morse was also gathering information from a number of sources to perfect the actual transmission of the message: the telegraph itself. He received special help from friends such as Alfred Vail, who helped Morse make the telegraph machine; the Vail family owned and operated an ironworks shop, and they built the model that was sent to Washington, D.C. to request government funding. He also worked with Leonard Gale, who provided the technical background that Morse lacked. In addition, friend and colleague Joseph Henry contributed a great deal of information regarding electromagnetism. The use of electromagnetism was perhaps Morse's greatest achievement, scientifically speaking. The end result after all his time, energy, and labor was a machine that transmitted an electronic signal and record the message as it was received at the other end:
 The basic concept of Morse's device
 The key used in Washington on May 24, 1844 to send the message "What hath God wrought"
 The printer Vail used in Baltimore to receive and printout the message "What hath God wrought"
Morse was not a born scientist; he was an educated man who had a love for art. Though he is presently known for his scientific advances, he gained his initial recognition through his artistic ability. Morse lived and painted during the 'American Renaissance', a term used to describe the era of the Romantic Impulse that completely influenced and dominated American culture. The Romantic Impulse was characterized as a time of intuition, education, expansion, diversity, and imagination. It was a time of recognizing that each individual was unique, and that the internal being was different from its external culture. In addition, nature was regarded as another organism, not as a means for human intervention. Emotions, rather than logic, guided people's minds and souls. Morse's paintings captured these ideals. He painted as he perceived things, especially people, and his works were greatly admired and respected as Romantic works of art. Morse himself was regarded as a Romantic because he painted and lived according to the distinguishing characteristics of the time. He gained a great deal of respect and admiration for his work, and was actually more well known at first for his art rather than his scientific acheivements. Morse's art is a perfect symbol of the Romantic Impulse, as was his lifestyle. He also lived on a ranch called Locust Grove, which shows the architectural significance of the era as well. Using dividends from the success of the telegraph, Morse hired designer Alexander Jackson Davis to redesign the mansion. Even today, the house maintains the designs and images of Davis, who was also an example of the Romantic artists from the American Renaissance. Davis implemented his own imagery to both the interior and exterior of the house, which overlooks the Hudson River. This is another example of the expression of the uniqueness of the individual that defines this era. The mansion was later made a national historic landmark in 1963, and is still remembered as a token symbol of the Romantic Impulse from the American Renaissance. Samuel Finley Breese Morse revolutionized and forever changed the realm of communication. He contributed several scientific achievements that enabled the birth of the telecommunications era, which, in turn, has led to the expansion of such resources as the Internet and the information superhighway. His perfection of the telegraph, mastery of electromagnetism, and, most importantly, his creation of what became known as the Morse Code make Morse a key reason for the growth and spread of Western culture throughout the world. It also makes him one of the most significant and important inventors of not only the American Renaissance, but also in American history.
See also Today in History May 24, 1844
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