The original Vail key is on permanent display in the Smithsonian Institute USASteve K2ALS pointed out that yesterday (01/06/2012) was the controversial 174 anniversary of the first demonstration of the telegraph. The date was Jan 6, 1838 when Morse partner Alfred Vail showed a telegraph system for the first time at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey.
Over at “This Day in History,” the lead story for Jan 6, 2012 was “Morse demonstrates telegraph.” This is a controversial topic since it is said that Vail was the real force behind the system and it is the creator of key parts such as the straight key.
On the Elmering Blog there is a great article that covers the controversial topic.
