A telegraph works by transmitting electrical signals over wires. A telegraph has both a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is the telegraph or transmission key. Wires connect the transmitter and receiver.

How does a traditional telegraph work?

Developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse (1791-1872) and other inventors, the telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations.

How did a telegram work?

Automated punched-tape transmission

In a punched-tape system, the message is first typed onto punched tape using the code of the telegraph system—Morse code for instance. It is then, either immediately or at some later time, run through a transmission machine which sends the message to the telegraph network.