The Sparks Telegraph Key Timeline

The Sparks Telegraph Key Timeline is a cumulative and ongoing accumulation of important dates in the history of telegraph key development. If you know of a date to add, please e-mail me! All events with significant impact will be included! sparks@zianet.com

Claude Chappe developed the system for the French optical telegraph in the 1790's, about 50 years before Morse's electro-magnetic telegraph. It was a system of semaphore signals, dependent on a signalling mechanism using a connecting section called a "regulator", and two pieces at the ends called "indicators." With a system of pulleys, the regulator could be positioned horizontally or vertically, and the position of the indicators could be varied in increments of 45 degrees. Chappe came up with 92 configurations and then developed a code book with 92 pages, each with 92 lines. 8,464 words, letters, or phrases were possible. Each was uniquely coded by 2 signals, the first designating the page, and the second the line on the page. By 1799, two more codebooks were added and were designated by shift codes, bringing the code total up to 25,392 entries. Entire messages could be transmitted in this manner across all of France in just a few minutes, via telegraph stations placed about 6 miles apart. Click on the middle of the illustration to read one of the first accounts of the French Optical Telegraph in The Gentleman's Magazine of September, 1794. A modern article on both the French and the Swedish optical telegraphs can be found in Scientific American, January 1994, pages 124-129.

1840

• 1844
  • the first true key, Alfred Vail's Lever Correspondent
  • first line in operation between Washington and Baltimore
• 1848
  • the first Camelback design keys by Thomas Hall (Boston), Charles Chubbock (New York) and Chester Brothers (New York)

1850

• 1850
  • Thomas Avery introduces the coil spring
• 1858
  • First Atlantic submarine cable laid

1860

• 1860
  • commercial manufacture of keys begins and starts with L.G. Tillotson and Company
  • Phelps improves Camelback for Western Union Company, adds spring tension adjustment and slims lever
• 1862
  • Beardslee type dial telegraph
• 1866
  • Prescott's History, Theory and Practice of the Electric Telegraph
• 1867
  • Partrick and Carter begin production

1870

• 1872
  • Mahlon Loomis, a Washington D.C. dentist, is granted a patent for improvements in telegraphy, perhaps the first effort at electromagnetic communication
• 1873
  • Lee de Forest born in Iowa
• 1874
  • Marconi is born April 25th in Bologna, Italy
• 1875
  • C.W. Lewis keys introduced by Western Union
• 1879
  • Phillips Code introduced

1880

• 1880
  • Altoona Shops produces general line for Pennsylvania Railroad Company
  • Manhattan Electrical Supply Company
• 1881
  • J.H. Bunnell patents solid trunnion lever which prevents brass from wearing and slipping off center
• 1882
  • Victor Key with knife trunnion introduced
• 1884
  • C. Plumb key made in Buffalo, NY.
• 1886
  • Western Electric introduces the Steiner Key (American Electrical Works)
• 1887
  • Granville T. Woods (U.S. black scientist ) patents for railway telegraphy (Oct 18, 1887, Nov. 15, 1887, and June 26, 1888). His inventions allowed R.R. crews on moving trains to comunicate with one another and with railroad stations. It made rail traffic safter by helping to avoid collisions by being forewarned of obstacles in the train's path.
• 1888
  • J.H. Bunnell invents sideswiper to reduce telegrapher's "Glass Arm"

1890

• 1890
  • Albright begins a typewriter sales and service business catering to the telegraph trade
• 1892
  • Branly develops coherer
• 1894
  • Sir Oliver Lodge uses coherer to receive radio signals
  • World's record single hop heliograph transmission, Uncompahgre Peak, Colorado to Mount Ellen, Utah. 183 miles. (Coe)
• 1895
  • Marconi transmits for distance of 1.5 miles
• 1896
  • Dr. G.A. Cardwell makes keys and sounders in New York
  • Marconi sets sail for England after Italian government shows no interest
• 1899
  • J.H. Bunnell dies

1900

• 1900
  • Foote Pierson makes 20th Century Key
• 1901
  • T.R. McElroy born
  • Marconi receives first transatlantic wireless signals
  • Wireless Telegraph Co. of America organized
• 1902
  • Yetman typewriter morse sender
  • Horace Martin's Autoplex
  • DeForest Wireless Telegraph Co. incorporated
  • Stone Telephone and Telegraph Co. incorporated in Boston
  • Massie Wireless Telegraph Co. incorporated in Rhode Island
• 1904
  • William O. Coffe's Mecograph
  • Omnigraph patented by Chinnock
• 1905
  • first Vibroplex, the Original
• 1907
  • Vibroplex Double Lever
  • United Electric Manufacturing (Martin) begins Norcross models
  • Wireless Specialty Apparatus Co. organized by Col. John Firth
  • Audion (triode) patented by De Forest
• 1909
  • Hulit Transmitter patented
  • Thomas J. Dunn produces Dunnduplex

1910

• 1911
  • Vibroplex Model X
  • Martin associates with Albright in New York
• 1912
  • Maver's American Telegraphy and Encyclopedia of the Telegraph
• 1913
  • Albright buys Bellows/Mecograph patents from Bellows widow after losing court battle on patent infringement
• 1914
  Vibroplex Blue Racer (No.4)
• 1915
  • Clapp Eastham makes Boston Keys for spark
• 1916
  • Abernathy bugs produced in Hampton Virginia
• 1917
  • Vibroplex Upright (vertical or Wirechief's key)
• 1918
  • Vibroplex Midget
• 1919
  • Shawplex bug produced by the Specialty Shoe Machinery Company of St. Joseph, Missouri

1920

• 1920
  • Horace Martin leaves Vibroplex
• 1922
  • Lytle Triplex in production
• 1924
  • Spark barred from shorter wavelength bands
• 1925
  • Ultimate Transmitting Co. ("73") Key patented
• 1927
  • Electro-Mfg begins production in Fresno, CA and eventually leads to Speed-X line after sold to Stewart
  • Vibroplex Lightning Bug (No.6)
• 1928
  • Bunnell wins suit over word "Bug"
• 1929
  • Vibroplex offers bugs in blue, green, or red

1930

• 1933
  • A.H. Emery produces Go-Devil
• 1934
  • McElroy introduces Mac-Key
  • Vibroplex Martin Junior
  • Stewart Johnson buys Electro Mfg. Co., it becomes SpeedX
• 1935
  • T.R. McElroy copies 77 wpm!
• 1936
  • Mac Junior introduced
• 1937
  • McElroy introduces first stream (straight) keys in his line
  • Marconi dies in Rome
  • Les Logan buys SpeedX
• 1939
  • La Hiff designs Vibroplex Champion
  • Vibroplex Zephyr
  • Melvin E. Hansen begins production of Melehan Valiant in Huntington Beach, CA
  • Electric Specialty Mfg. Co. makes the Cedar Rapids bug

1940

• 1941
  • McElroy introduces A-400, P-500, and S-600
• 1942
  • Lionel builds J-36
  • first (?) commercially produced electronic keyer by Lovett Garceau
• 1943
  • brass and chrome not used in Vibroplex bugs in WW2
• 1944
  • TAC (McElroy consortium) bugs produced
• 1947
  • E.F.Johnson buys Speed-X
• 1948
  • Vibroplex Presentation
• 1949
  • Dow Keys made based on Lytle design

1950

• 1954
  • J.A. Hills of Dayton, Ohio offers the "Vari-Speed" for sale
• 1957
  • Bunnell Speed Key

1960

• 1960
  • Vibroplex Vibrokeyer
• 1962
  • Joseph Hills produces FYO paddles in Dayton, Ohio
• 1963
  • T.R. McElroy dies of heart attack
• 1964
  • Brown Brothers begin producing paddles and straight keys
• 1965
  • John La Hiff buys Vibroplex

1970

• 1972
  • William Nye buys Speed-X
• 1978
  • Pete Garsoe buys Vibroplex
  • Hamco's "The Scotia", bought by Vibroplex in 1982 to later become the Brass Racer

1980

• 1982
  • Vibroplex brass racer (EK-1)
• 1987
  • Roger Reinke publishes list of American Telegraph Instrument Makers 1837-1900 in Dots and Dashes

1990

• 1990
  • Bill Holly publishes history of The Vibroplex Co., Inc.
• 1991
  • Dave Ingram and CQ Magazine publish Keys, Keys, Keys and start the key collecting craze
• 1993
  • Tom French publishes history of T.R. McElroy
• 1994
  • Louise Moreau, telegraph key historian dies at age 77
• 1995
  • S. Felton Mitchell (W4OA, ex-WA4OSR) buys Vibroplex and moves it to Mobile, Alabama
• 1996
  • Vibroplex Square Racer
  • Vibroplex makes their first straight key
• 1997
  • Vibroplex "double"-- paddles and straight key on one base
  • John Elwood unravels mystery of Vibroplex Serial Numbers and manufacturing dates
• 1999
  • 500 Khz no longer monitored for distress calls. KFS no longer on CW.
  • Morse Code requirement dropped for Radio Officers.
  • Vibroplex "Millenium Blue Racer" offered

2000