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.
Literate mazili and ruptași in Bessarabia in the first half of the 19th century
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
Abstract
Based on previously unpublished archival sources the author considers two privileged categories of the population of Bessarabia mazili and ruptași, attempting to show that some of them were literate and enjoyed respect and authority among the lower strata of the population. The number of literate mazili and ruptași possible, although quite difficult to identify by examination of the numerous petitions, complaints and claims addressed to county, regional and imperial institutions, especially in cases when after the fiscal censuses (1824, 1835, 1850, 1858) some of them for some reasons have not been identified in the social class of mazili or in the fiscal class of ruptași. An other similar situation was attested after the entry into force of the Law of 10 March 1847, under which mazili and ruptași from Bessarabia were reclassified to the Russian social category of odnodvortsy. Those, who for various reasons were not included in the list of the privileged classes of Bessarabia, had over the years to present documents proving that they belong to privileged social or fiscal categories. In addition to official documents signed by former rulers of Moldavia and the decisions of Provisional Committee of Bessarabia, mazili and ruptași were required to present testimonies of 24 persons from the category of ruptași and mazili, who could confirm under oath that the petitioners belong to mazili, ruptași or odnodvortsy. It is remarkable that the signatures on the testimonies argue that many of these ruptași and mazili were literate or at least were able to basically read and write. The signatures on these documents were made using Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, which means that after 1812 mazili and ruptași were taught to read and write at home.
Valentin Tomuleț
Taxation of the mazili and ruptași social categories in Bessarabia under the Tsarist domination (1812-1847)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Валентин Томулец, Сергей Сычёв
The political parties and significant personalities of the Bessarabian Zemstvo (1869-1917)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XI [XXVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Valentin Tomuleț, Victoria Bivol
The elites of Bessarabian bourgeoisie: Armenian and Greek wholesale merchants (1812-1868)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Valentin Tomuleț, Cristina Gherasim
Some considerations on factors that generated mentality shifts of the landlords in Bessarabia under tsarist domination (1812-1817)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Valentin Tomuleț
Jewish colonies in Bessarabia in the 19th century
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], 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.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
