From Semaphore to Satellite
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From Semaphore to Satellite 1865-1965 Published by the International Telecommunication Union Geneva 1965 on the Occasion of its Centenary From Semaphore to Satellite From Semaphore to Satellite This Volume is published on the Occasion of the Centenary of the International Telecommunication Union Published by the International Telecommunication Union Geneva 1965 From Semaphore to Satellite Introduction Part I — The Telegraph Part II - Radio 1888-1947 Part III — The Union after Conclusions and the Telephone a Century 1947-1965 1793-1932 Foreword The Precursors 11 The Inventors of Wireless The Union and its The Achievement o f a Hundred Years 305 The Preface The Pioneers of the Telegraphy 117 Secretariat 205 Telegraph 25 Wireless Grows up at Sea 129 The International Telegraph The Social Effect o f Telecommunications 315 International Co-operation International Radiotelegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (C.C.I.T.T.) 215 Begins 43 Conferences 143 The Future 327 Paris — 1865 51 Madrid— 1932 159 The International Radio Consultative Committee The Pioneering Work of Wars and Telecom (C .C .I.R .) 229 List o f Members and the Telegraph Union 63 munications — an Interlude 171 The International Frequency Associate Members of the I.T.U. 337 Telegraph Rates, Priorities, Atlantic C ity — 1947 183 List and the International and Codes 77 Radio Frequencies and Frequency Registration Acknowledgement to The Telephone 91 Radio Regulations 193 Board (I.F.R.B.) 247 Picture Sources 339 Telephone Regulations 103 Helping the New and Reference Books 343 Developing Countries 261 Telecommunications in Government, Industry, and Private Life 275 Telecommunications in Space 283 5 Philofophical EXPERIMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS Of the late Eminent Dr. ROBERT HOOKE, S. R . S. And Geom. Pro£ G r e jb . AND Other Eminent V irti'o so ’s in his Time. With COPPER PL A TEA. Publifh'd by W . D e r h a m , F . R . S . 1-3 Robert Hooke's suggestion for optical L O N .T ) O N . telegraphy, as published Printed by W. and J. Innys, Printers to the in 1726. Individual letters and code signs R o y a l S o c ie t y , at the W eft End o f St. Paul's. were to be MDCCXXVI. suspended from the wooden framework. As fa r as is known, these suggestions were never carried out in practice. 6 Foreword To look back on a hundred years of successful international co-operation, as the International Tele communication Union can do, is a unique achievement. The Union is the oldest of the intergovernmental organizations which now form the specialized agencies of the United Nations. Yet a hundred years is but the briefest interval in the recorded history of man. Of the earth’s own aeons it is a ipicroscopic part. But in this last century there has occurred such a change for mankind that all previous discovery and progress are almost insignificant. Probably the most remarkable advance of the last hundred years lies in the speed and variety of our communications. First the telegraph and the telephone, then radio, including broadcasting and tele vision, all tremendously expanded through the electronic revolution, and now space communications, these are all an integral part of the exponential growth of science which may well astonish even our grand children. But this ever-increasing rate of scientific invention has led to another equally astonishing growth, namely an ever closer working together across natural and man-made frontiers. Without the one, the other could never have altered the very texture of our life so deeply, intimately and so permanently. And that is the theme of our present book. International co-operation in telecommunications started from small beginnings in Paris on May 17, 1865, when the International Telegraph Union was founded. To mark the 100th anniversary of this historic event the International Telecommunication Union is publishing this centenary volume. The decision to publish this Volume was taken by the ITU Administrative Council at its 1963 session. The text was written by Dr. Anthony R. Michaelis of London and the illustrations were mostly provided by ITU Member Governments, additional pictorial material being assembled from many sources by Dr. Michaelis. The design is by Claude Humbert and the book was printed by Henri Studer S.A. of Geneva. Any opinions expressed in this Volume are those of the author and do not in any way commit the International Telecommunication Union. Gerald C. GROSS Secretary-General International Telecommunication Union Geneva, January 1965 7 r j 8 The Preface Stand anywhere in the quiet countryside, away from crowded cities, ploughed fields, or other signs of man’s many activities. Then your picture may well be the same as that of your forefathers, hundreds or even thousands of years ago. And yet, during the last few decades, a subtle change has occurred, which none of our senses can register. Radio waves, bearing messages in many tongues, flow ceaselessly around us, through us and above us. We can only hear and see them if we convert them to other waves to which our ears and eyes are receptive. Perhaps that is the major reason why we take radio for granted. The moment wires are used to convey intelligence we become conscious of the means, although we are still ignorant of the ends. Yet, about 150 years ago, when the arms of the optical telegraph were waving in the air, anyone who knew their code could read the signals, simply by looking at them. From such simple beginnings then, the semaphores, to the satellites orbiting our planet, and acting as relay stations for our messages, has grown the subject which we now call telecommunications. It is defined as any transmission, emission or recep tion of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, or intelligence of any nature, by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems. Yet our book is not primarily concerned with a scientific history of these means of telecommunica tions. Its subject is the international co-operation which has occurred in this field during more than 100 years. Working together, across man-made and across natural frontiers, became an imperative necessity as soon as the technical means had been perfected to send messages over long distances. Small groups of countries first joined together to draft acceptable agreements, and then, on May 17, 1865, twenty delegations from different European countries signed in Paris the first convention of the International Telegraph Union. To-day there are over 120 members of the International Telecommunication Union, covering all the corners of the earth. These hundred years of successful, uninterrupted progress in inter national co-operation are the subject of our book. But it proved impossible to tell this exciting story without explaining at the same time the scientific progress that was constantly made in the techniques of telecommunications. Neither the means, nor the international co-operation by themselves would have told the full story of success. Only by weaving the one into the other, telling once again how the telegraph, telephone and radio, as well as radar, broad casting and television came about, and how each new invention demanded new efforts in international 9 co-operation, could this cloth unfold which contains the threads of untold thousands of scientists, engi neers and administrators. All had but one aim, to extend international co-operation in all fields of tele communications, although it often took decades to achieve a single step towards it. After a hundred years, their success is assured. It can be seen in the pages of this book, and it contains many lessons which other workers in other fields might well find of value. It is our sincere hope that you will find in this book more than dry historical facts. This achievement of successfully working together for a hundred years has so far remained unique. (The Universal Postal Union held a preliminary meeting in Paris in 1863, but their first formal conference only took place in Berne in 1874.) That so many different countries can work together for a hundred years in a field of communications is eloquent proof that international co-operation is feasible, that it is profitable, and that in the successful development of scientific inventions it is absolutely essential. To-day in the space age the world has great need for such a proof, and if the reader can absorb this spirit from the following pages, the purpose of this history will have been fulfilled. To bring forth this spirit, both from the scientific and from the international developments, has meant that many interesting details had to be left aside. Fortunately, there is now a great literature available for anyone anxious to pursue the two subjects in greater depth than was possible in this book and a number of useful publications are listed in an appendix.