On 2 March 1791, Paris witnessed a revolutionary leap in communication as Claude Chappe unveiled the first practical semaphore machine, a system of telegraphy that would drastically reduce the time required to relay messages across vast distances.
Using a series of towers equipped with pivoting wooden arms, the device enabled operators to transmit coded signals that could be deciphered at the receiving end, marking a significant departure from the sluggish methods of couriers and messengers.
This innovation, which would soon expand across France, laid the groundwork for modern telecommunications by demonstrating that messages need not be constrained by the limitations of human travel, but could instead be conveyed swiftly through a structured visual language.
