The impact of the telegraph on public time in the United States, 1844-93

Author

Stephens, Carlene E.

Author_Institution

Smithsonian Instn., Nat. Museum of American History, Washington, DC, USA

Volume

8

Issue

1

fYear

1989

fDate

3/1/1989 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

4

Lastpage

10

Abstract

Telegraph technology permitted, for the first time ever, the almost instantaneous synchronization of one place with another far distant one. This synchronization made the introduction of a uniform national standard time possible. The origins of a specialized time-distribution technology, in the beginnings of telegraphy and the experimental instruments designed for the US Coast Survey´s longitude expeditions in the 1840s and 1850s, are examined. Further developments on into the 1890s are discussed, by which time the technology had matured from crude beginnings as a specialized scientific tool to become, as an aspect of Western Union´s business, the most successful and widely used means of disseminating time to the business community and the general public.<>

Keywords

history; standards; telegraphy; time measurement; business community; experimental instruments; general public; instantaneous synchronization; longitude expeditions; public time; specialized scientific tool; specialized time-distribution technology; telegraph technology; telegraphy; uniform national standard time; Cities and towns; Clocks; Continents; Instruments; North America; Poles and towers; Rail transportation; Sun; Synchronization; Telegraphy;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Technology and Society Magazine, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0278-0097

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/44.17681

Filename

17681