![\"http:\/\/www.spynotebook.org\/chip\/archives\/pictures\/2006\/02\/telegraph-thumb.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.spynotebook.org\/chip\/archives\/pictures\/2006\/02\/telegraph-thumb.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\nTelegrams reached their peak popularity in the 1920s and 1930s when it was
\ncheaper to send a telegram than to place a long distance telephone call.
\nPeople would save money by using the word “stop” instead of periods to end
\nsentences because punctuation was extra while the four character word was
\nfree.<\/p>\nLast week, the last 10 telegrams included birthday wishes, condolences on
\nthe death of a loved one, notification of an emergency, and several people
\ntrying to be the last to send a telegram.<\/p>\n“Recent generations didn’t receive telegrams and didn’t know you could
\nsend them,” Chayet said.<\/p>\nSamuel Morse, inventor of the Morse Code, sent the first telegram from
\nWashington to Baltimore on May 26, 1844, to his partner Alfred Vail to
\nusher in the telegram era that displaced the Pony Express. It read “WHAT
\nHATH GOD WROUGHT?”<\/p>\n“If he only knew,” Chayet said of the myriad of choices today, which
\nincludes text message on cell phones, the Internet and virtually free
\nlong-distance calling rates.<\/p>\n“It definitely was an anachronism,” Noel said. “It’s amazing it survived
\nthis long.”\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nLink: via IP<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Western Union sent its last telegram on Friday. Telegrams reached their peak popularity in the 1920s and 1930s when it was cheaper to send a telegram than to place a long distance telephone call. People would save money by using … Continue reading