#Exhibit of the Month

One of the great technical achievements that revolutionized the idea of time and space, opening a new era in the history of communication, is telegraphy. It is based on the transmission of electrical signals through a cable over long distances, allowing people to communicate instantly. The telegraph spread very quickly and a network of wires stretched around the world.

In 1837, the American painter and physicist Samuel Morse invented the first electromagnetic device for telegraphy, patented in 1840. To send messages by wire, Morse developed in 1838 a simple code of dots and dashes, which represented the letters of the alphabet, known as "Morse code ".

Both Morse code and the telegraph machine were improved over time, with the telegraph becoming the most widespread system of communication and information transmission for more than a century, until the advent of the Internet. The telegraph system consisted of a series of stations repeaters along the transmission line route. Each station had an operator who received and transmitted messages by telegraph. The Morse machine transmitted about 25 words per minute, which were recorded in code on a paper tape. The operator in charge of transmitting the message would decode it and write it on paper using a special typewriter.

In Bessarabia, the telegraph entered in 1860: on April 8, the Bender telegraph station began its activity, and on April 24, the one in Chisinau, following the construction of the first Odesa-Chisinau-Leova telegraph line. Currently, telegraph services have been discontinued. The only ones who still use coded communication are radio amateurs.

The Morse telegraph machine shown comes from the Osinoostrovsky electrotechnical plant, Soviet Union, and dates back to 1934. The exhibit was restored by Mihail Culașco.

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Exhibitions

"Origami - the world tree"

November 9-25, 2023

Every year, on November 11, World Origami Day is celebrated.

Although the origins are still not well known, it is assumed that the 6th century would be the starting point of the art of origami, first in Japan, then it was spread throughout the world, "landing" on European territory somewhere between the 17th and XVIII. It is a specifically Japanese technique of folding paper, which can take various forms, from models of living creatures and inanimate objects to geometric, abstract figures.

Nowadays, the art of origami is appreciated by people of all ages, representing a form of artistic manifestation, but also a passion, in which creativity, imagination and patience play a very important role. Moreover, it has become art, which is part of pedagogy, being practiced in kindergartens and schools during manual work hours.

The temporary exhibition "Origami - the world tree", dedicated to World Origami Day, presents a series of pieces made, in classic and modular style, by children and members of the Origami Moldova Association, divided into:

- "Momijigari" - a beautiful Japanese tradition, which literally means "maple leaf hunting". It is a centuries-old custom of the Japanese people to admire the changing colors of the leaves in autumn. The landscape, which becomes a work of art, inspires many artists, poets and ordinary people.

- Origami has no age limits. During its 26 years of activity, the Origami Moldova Association has gathered around it people of different ages. This section displays works by adult members for whom origami is art therapy.

- The Japanese system for the development of the child's intellect, developed by the neurobiologist Kikunori Shinohara, is the priority direction of the origami technique in Moldova. The exhibited pieces are made by children guided by Lilia Socolova, the president of the Origami Moldova Association, who uses this method in the training process. Since 1997, his students have participated in various republican and international exhibitions, obtaining diplomas and appreciations.

The opening of the exhibition "Origami - the world tree" took place on 9th of November, at 12:00. The exhibition is organized by the National History Museum of Moldova in partnership with the Origami Moldova Association and will be accessible to the general public from November 9 to 25, 2023, in the ground floor hall, National Museum of History of Moldova, Chisinau, 31 August 1989 street, 121A.