The arrival of the electric telegraph in 1837 created a new reality: messages transmitted very quickly and reliably over distances farther than a man could see.
As the networks grew the distances became greater and greater, linking towns, then countries and finally continents.
Within 30 years the telegraph had transformed business, commerce, government and society. But the impact on ordinary lives was subtler.
Many developments in Victorian times transformed people's lives directly - train travel, better sanitation and cheaper food.
By comparison, the telegraph had no direct ...
Fax is short for Facsimile - the ability to send an image (a replica of a piece of paper) - down a line. It seems like a sophisticated telecommunications technology and people think of it as quite recent - an invention ...