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Quiz about Down to the Wire
Quiz about Down to the Wire

Down to the Wire Trivia Quiz


This quiz deals with Samuel Morse and the development of the telegraph.

A multiple-choice quiz by bernie73. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
bernie73
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
386,791
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
231
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Although Morse is associated with the development of the telegraph, for many years he had a different way of earning a living. In which field was Morse a leading American figure in the early 1800s? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What tragic event inspired Morse to try to find a faster way of communication than was typically available in the early 1800s? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In 1832 Samuel Morse met a scientist named Charles Jackson. To which scientific topic (that would aid in the development of the telegraph) did Jackson introduce Morse? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In 1837, Morse submitted his working model for a telegraph and a patent application to the US patent office. Where can Morse's first telegraph be found today? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. To be viable, Morse needed to demonstrate that the telegraph could send messages over long distance. Where and in which state did Morse send the first long-term message with his machine (about two miles)? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Morse was in competition with William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone to develop a working telegraph that would have worldwide appeal From where were Cooke and Wheatstone operating? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In the 1850s, Morse was part of the company that placed the first Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable between North America and Europe, allowing for very rapid communication between the two continents. What was the first message sent on the Trans-Atlantic Cable Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. To demonstrate that his telegraph was viable over long distances, Morse used a $30,000 appropriation from Congress to have a telegraph line strung between two US cities. Which cities were chosen? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In which way was Morse NOT recognized for his accomplishment? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. An important offshoot of the telegraph was the use of Morse Code where combinations of dots and dashes represented letters and numbers. In modern Morse code, what does the following combination represent: dot-dot-dot dash-dash-dash dot-dot-dot? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Although Morse is associated with the development of the telegraph, for many years he had a different way of earning a living. In which field was Morse a leading American figure in the early 1800s?

Answer: He was an artist.

Samuel Morse (1791-1872) established his reputation as a painter--particularly of portraits. His works include portraits of US presidents John Adams and James Monroe. Morse also painting "Dying Hercules" and "Judgment of Jupiter". Morse studied painting for several years in London under the tutelage of artist Washington Allston. Morse was a co-founder of the National Academy of Design and served as its first president.
2. What tragic event inspired Morse to try to find a faster way of communication than was typically available in the early 1800s?

Answer: The death of his wife.

Morse was married to Lucretia Walker from 1818 to 1825. Lucretia Morse died shortly after the birth of Samuel and Lucretia's third child. Morse was in Washington, DC working on a commission in 1825 when he received a letter from his father that his wife was very ill.

The next day a second letter arrived that said his wife had died. Morse immediately left from Washington, DC to return to his home in Connecticut. By the time he arrived, his wife had already been buried.
3. In 1832 Samuel Morse met a scientist named Charles Jackson. To which scientific topic (that would aid in the development of the telegraph) did Jackson introduce Morse?

Answer: Electromagnetism

Morse was inspired by Jackson's experiments with an electromagnet (a magnet whose magnetism is produced by an electrical current). Charles Thomas Jackson (1805-1880) was an American scientist who also studied medicine, chemistry, mineralogy, and geology.

He was also known for his legal disputes over development of several technologies and scientific ideas including the telegraph). In the 1830s and 1840s he served as state geologist for several New England states.
4. In 1837, Morse submitted his working model for a telegraph and a patent application to the US patent office. Where can Morse's first telegraph be found today?

Answer: National Museum of American History

The National Museum of American History is part of the Smithsonian Institution. When I visited Locust Grove in 2007, there was a model of Morse's telegraph in an exhibit in the visitor's center, but it was a replica. Morse would spend several years in legal and publicity battles to be considered the inventor of the telegraph.

In an 1848 letter (quoted from Wikipedia), he described this struggle: "I have been so constantly under the necessity of watching the movements of the most unprincipled set of pirates I have ever known, that all my time has been occupied in defense, in putting evidence into something like legal shape that I am the inventor of the Electro-Magnetic Telegraph! Would you have believed it ten years ago that a question could be raised on that subject?"
5. To be viable, Morse needed to demonstrate that the telegraph could send messages over long distance. Where and in which state did Morse send the first long-term message with his machine (about two miles)?

Answer: New Jersey in 1838

The demonstration took place in a factory building in Morristown, NJ. Morse and his associate Alfred Vail ran two miles of wire through the facility (about the limit that a telegraph message could be sent without a relay). A local crowd witnessed the sending of the message: "A patient waiter is no loser."
6. Morse was in competition with William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone to develop a working telegraph that would have worldwide appeal From where were Cooke and Wheatstone operating?

Answer: Britain

Although they started later, Cooke and Wheatstone were able to develop a working telegraph before Morse. By 1837 they had a 13 mile telegraph operating along the Great Western Railway in Great Britain. Morse's telegraph system was ultimately less expensive than the one developed by Cooke and Wheatstone, however, and would spread worldwide.
7. In the 1850s, Morse was part of the company that placed the first Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable between North America and Europe, allowing for very rapid communication between the two continents. What was the first message sent on the Trans-Atlantic Cable

Answer: A message of congratulations to the US President

The Trans-Atlantic Cable was laid in 1858 under the leadership of Cyrus West Field and the Atlantic Cable Company. The first successful cable only lasted a few weeks and messages were sent very slowly, but by 1866 a permanent cable had been placed and sending times had improved.

The 1858 message was from Queen Victoria's government to US President James Buchanan. The other three events all occurred in later years. The US Civil War began in 1861. The first "football" game between Princeton and Rutgers occured in 1869. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1876.
8. To demonstrate that his telegraph was viable over long distances, Morse used a $30,000 appropriation from Congress to have a telegraph line strung between two US cities. Which cities were chosen?

Answer: Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD

The 38 mile route of Morse's telegraph line between Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD along the right of way for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This is near where today's Route 1 runs between the two cities. The first message sent on the telegraph was word that Henry Clay had received the Whig Party nomination for President and the Whig Party convention that was meeting in Baltimore, MD on May 1, 1844.

The telegraph was officially opened on May 23 with the Biblical phrase "What has God wrought?" (Numbers 23:23)
9. In which way was Morse NOT recognized for his accomplishment?

Answer: He was appointed US Secretary of the Interior.

Morse's portrait appeared on the reverse the 1896 US Silver Certificate (in the two dollar denomination). In 1940, his portrait appeared on a two cent stamp in the Great Americans series. In 1975, he was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Although he had very defined views on many political and social issues of the day, he was never appointed to any cabinet position in any US Presidential administration.
10. An important offshoot of the telegraph was the use of Morse Code where combinations of dots and dashes represented letters and numbers. In modern Morse code, what does the following combination represent: dot-dot-dot dash-dash-dash dot-dot-dot?

Answer: SOS

The "dash" signal is three times as long as the "dot" signal. The pause between letters is as long as a "dash". The pause between words is slightly over twice as long as a "dash". The letter "E" (the most common letter in English) is represented by a single "dot".

The "SOS" signal is not considered three letters when it is sent as a distress signal. Instead, it is sent without pauses. "SOS" was chosen because of the relative ease in sending the message.
Source: Author bernie73

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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