Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The telegraph was hugely important to businesses particularly in North America where the distances between cities were so great that communications were often difficult. The telegraph eventually became a big business in its own right. Which company eventually became the biggest of all the telegraph companies?
2. What year was the first electric telegram sent in North America?
3. Who was the famous daughter of the man often credited with the early invention of a telegraph-like system in Canada in the 18th century?
4. Secrecy for users was guaranteed by the use of codes, even if the cable was infiltrated by the "enemy" (be that enemy a business rival or a belligerent country). Many companies developed their own codes. Which company was one of the first to use codes in their cables?
5. The American Cyrus West Field realized the importance of communication with Europe more than most people did and he had a dream to lay a telegraph cable across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. What was the name of the book he wrote about his efforts to do so?
6. The western end of the transatlantic cable was finally attached at Heart's Content, Newfoundland on July 22, 1866. What was the next step in the history of transatlantic communication?
7. The telegraph grew and changed quickly. What was next for the telegraph after the advent of the electric cable and insulated lines and who was responsible for this advance?
8. Many inventions came to us through military need such was the case with the telegraph. Generals needed much information about the enemy and sometimes this information was known at headquarters but could not be relayed efficiently to the front lines. This necessitated a system of passing information quickly. What could, arguably, be called the first telegraph system?
9. What was the name of the famous telegram, which was later proposed to be a fake, changed the involvement of the United States in World War I?
10. In 1884 Western Union began the practice of leasing lines to special customers during less busy times, and many of those customers opened up their own telegraph departments with specially trained telegraphers. Canadian Pacific Telegraph followed this practice too. What was the date that Canadian Pacific sent its last cable message?
Source: Author
howdyitsme
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