How Long Did Telegrams Take?
It Took Days, Weeks, and Even Months for Messages to Be Sent from One Location to a Far-Flung Position. After the Telegraph Cable Was Stretched from Coast to...
It took days, weeks, and even months for messages to be sent from one location to a far-flung position. After the telegraph cable was stretched from coast to coast in the 1850s, a message from London to New York could be sent in mere minutes, and the world suddenly became much smaller.
How fast did telegraph messages travel?
The speed of the printing telegraph was 16 and a half words per minute, but messages still required translation into English by live copyists. Chemical telegraphy came to an end in the US in 1851, when the Morse group defeated the Bain patent in the US District Court.
How quick was a telegram?
It had a speed of 50 baud—approximately 66 words per minute.
Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.
