One informed the Bellamys that their son was missing in action, another told the world that the 'unsinkable' had sunk and an infamous murderer and his mistress were brought to book by a quick-thinking, eagle-eyed ship's captain and Mr Morse's invention.
It's responsible for some of the best and most memorable plot twists, turns and denouements and is infused with fear, loathing, hope, love, tragedy — it's Litmus for the human condition.
The telegram.
After 160 years the last telegram will be sent by someone in India by 6 PM today.
We remember the 'firsts' — the first Walkman, PC, iPod, iMac, Mobile and so on — but the 'lasts' become increasing harder to recall, the death of the once all-pervasive fax and telex machines being perhaps the nearest demises. But the telegram is in a different league because it belongs to and represents a communications world which seems unthinkable to us today.
Nowadays things dovetail or overlap. We migrate seemingly seamlessly from one medium to another, from one instrument to another. Things merge, fuse and develop.
But nothing ever really goes away.
Look no further than the parable of the CD, Mini Disc and the resurgence of Vinyl.
In Independence Day Morse code saved the world when the best and newest technology couldn't.
And only yesterday I read that in Russia manual typewriters are being snapped up as fears about hacking and cyber-espionage grow.
For every action there's a counter-action.
Is this the end?
I wouldn't bet on it.
STOP.
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