At 8:45 AM on Friday, May 24, 1844, Samuel Finley Breese Morse sat in the quiet chamber of the Supreme Court in the United States Capitol and pressed a brass key linked to an iron electromagetic coil.
The Message Suggested by Annie Ellsworth
The famous phrase, "What hath God wrought," taken from Numbers 23:23, was suggested by Annie Ellsworth, daughter of the U.S. Patent Commissioner, who had brought Morse the news that Congress had approved the $30,000 appropriation for the experimental 44-mile telegraph line.
“What hath God wrought! This sentence was written by Annie Ellsworth and telegraphed by me to Baltimore.”
Alfred Vail: The Unsung Mechanical Genius
While Morse was the visionary and political champion, his partner Alfred Vail was the engineer who invented the modern lever key, refined the electro-mechanical sounder, and devised the frequency-based dot-and-dash code by inspecting type inventory boxes in local print shops.
Line Distance: 44 miles (71 km) | Wire: No. 16 copper insulated with cotton and gum | Battery: 80 Grove zinc-platinum cells generating ~150 volts DC.