THEN
NOW
TelegraphOn May 24, 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse dispatched the first telegraphic message from Washington D.C. to Baltimore. Morse is best known as the inventor of the telegraph. It was Morse who began to conceive a communications system using Morse code. Morse code is an alphabet of electronic dashes and dots used to transmit telegraph messages. The actual telegraph operated by the flow of electricity through a wire that was interrupted for shorter or longer periods by holding down the key of the device. The resulting dots or dashes were recorded on a printer or could be interpreted orally.
Computers
Today we use computers to send messages in seconds by E-Mail. In the 19th Century a modern, new invention made it possible to send messages electronically. This device used a complicated system of dots and dashes. It took only a few minutes to send a message a long distance. This was an improvement over the U.S. mail service (snail mail), which could take weeks.
Washboard & Ringer
Before giving way to modern day
stain removers and clothing dryers, people long ago had to scrub their
clothing by hand on a washboard in a metal wash tub to get the stains out.
Then they ran their clothing through a ringer that squeezed the water out of
the material. Next, they hung the clothing outdoors on a line to dry.
In the winter, they hung the clothes on a rack near the kitchen stove.
Washing Machine & Dryer
Now we use a washing machine and a dryer to clean our clothes!
Ice Box
By the 1950s, the refrigerator
had replaced the old-fashioned icebox and cold cellar as a place to store
food. An icebox did not have any power but rather the sides were
packed with ice to ensure the food was kept cold.
Refrigerator
Today every home has a refrigerator to keep our foods cold and frozen.