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.
Economical Situation of Bessarabia before the Crimean War
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2007
Unpublished documents and academic research prove that the Bessarabian economy before the Crimean War was aimed to satisfy necessities of the Russian Empire. In agriculture the most important branches were cultivation of cereals, gardening, horticulture and cattle breeding. These branches of agriculture had to supply Russian armies with farm products and transport. Industrial plants and factories were built, and their production was also of importance for the Russian military. The roads and bridges had both commercial and strategic importance. They permitted the troops to move quickly at the time of general mobilization. All this explains the tendency of the Russian administration to repair and maintain roads and bridges, and to construct the new ones. The favourable situations in the economy of the area convinced the Russian Empire that it should rely on the economical potential of the region for the supply of the Russian troops during the Crimean War.
Natalia Timohina
The relationships between Russian armies and native populations of the Moldavian and Romanian kingdoms in the ears of the Crimean war (1853-1856)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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 National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.