Blog Post 6: Each One, Teach One - Presentation Reflection

Each One, Teach One - Peer Reflection 

In this blog post, I will be detailing some inventions that my peers shared in their "Each One, Teach One" presentations. Just like my blog post about the telegraph, this blog post will be sharing new information I discovered from other pieces of technology in history. 

The History of the Carrier Pigeons

Many people know about carrier pigeons being one of the first ways to communicate across varying distances. Little did I know, however, the origin of carrier pigeons and where it started.

According to the research one of my classmates found, the first instances of carrier pigeons was likely in ancient Egypt. This was the fastest way to get a message from point A to point B. In addition, carrier pigeons were also used during the Roman Empire; there was quite a large usage of them at that time. Initially, carrier pigeons were used only for the wealthy who wanted to deliver their mail faster than on horseback. At the time, it was a privilege to have a carrier pigeon deliver your message.

Carrier pigeons were also regarded in the Middle East, and were help in high esteem, calling them "King's Angels". Again, as you can see, they were used primarily for the wealthiest of citizens. 

A fun fact about carrier pigeons is that pigeon racing became an official sport in the 1900s! Who knew! 

The Invention and History of Television

Television is both one of the greatest and most astonishing
inventions when it comes to technology. Before the television, there was Paul Nipkow, who invented the electric telescope in 1884, which was a spinning disk system that could 'scan' things. After this invention, years later, Philo Farnsworth demonstrated the first electronic TV system in 1927. This was technically the first ever invention of the television, the earliest and closest thing to a TV like the ones we have today. 

The television helped revolutionize communication and fostered shared cultural experiences. Once it became a worldwide invention, majority of the population eventually had one and could experience real time events with other countries at the same time, which positively impacted communication between countries. It helped unite the world and brought people together when it came to watching favorite shows or witnessing live television broadcasts. 

Of course, there are negatives with every positive. Concerns over televised violence, particularly on children, became quite prominent. One way children would find entertainment was through the TV, but unfortunately, there were times when there was no perfect way to monitor whether violence would pop up on the television. In addition, it sparked debates on content regulation and parental supervision. The issue rose that parents should be supervising their children when watching TV to help diminish the possibility of violence being displayed. 

Obviously, television made it a very long way and better ways to monitor children while watching TV has become very advanced. For example, Netflix has the feature that allows children to only view child-approved content. In addition, on cable, there are many different channels that promote only kids shows which helps diminish the impact of violence on children nowadays.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both the inventions that I chose to speak about are inventions that were necessary for technology to be as advanced as it is today. These inventions helped set in motion extraordinary creations that we could only have imagined back in the day. 

My next blog post will detail The Progressive Era and I will be sharing my thoughts on antiwar voices.  

Blog Post 4: Each One, Teach One - The Invention of the Telegraph

 The Invention of the Telegraph

For the "Each One, Teach One" presentation project, I chose to present on the telegraph, an extremely influential invention that many have likely forgotten today. Without the telegraph, many inventions that we use daily and hold great importance to were invented with the telegraph being its starter point. 

In this blog post, I will be discussing the history of the telegraph and how it came to be the invention we know today. In addition, I will be mentioning the impact of the telegraph on society back then and how it has affected society today with both positives and negatives.

The History Behind the Telegraph

Before the physical telegraph product was invented, it had to have been created in the mind, and the idea of the telegraph was invented in 1798. This idea was simply a rough system that was first used throughout France. After the idea was invented, many others seeking fame claimed to have come up with the invention themselves. However, the first one to formerly claim it was Samuel Morse, who created his version of the working telegraph by 1832. With this physical version of the telegraph, he was able to claim the title of the invention of the telegraph and from there, the ways in which humans communicated only evolved. 

So...how exactly did the telegraph work?

Well, the telegraph converted messages into electric impulses that could travel by wire to long-distance receivers, then converted back to readable text. This became known as "Morse Code," named, of course, after the man who not only invented the telegraph, but invented morse code which was used as the first formal way of communicating across long distances quickly. 

Morse Code

Morse Code--created by none other than Samuel Morse--was used as the official 'language' of the telegraph. Instead of words being used to communicate, combinations of short and long 'tones' were used, and each sound represented a letter of the alphabet. At the time, there was no effective way to communicate through voice over far distances, so Samuel Morse came up with the idea of conversing through sounds. 

Morse code was later put into use with the telegraph, which made the telegraph one of the most advanced pieces of technology at the time. 

Beginning Accomplishments for the Telegraph

Samuel Morse built a huge telegraph system from Washington D.C. all the way to Baltimore, Maryland in 1843. Years later, it eventually extended to New York. In May of 1844, the first message sent on the telegraph said, "What hath God wrought?" which was an amazing accomplishment on Morse's part. 

Years later, in 1864, the top telegraph company, Western Union, operated on 44,000 miles of wire and was valued at $10 million, which increased to $21 million the next year. By 1866, 100,000 miles of wire were placed around the country and Western Union reached its capital stock value of $40 million. 

Flash forward 50 years, by 1910, the Mann-Elkins Act was put in place, which granted Interstate Commerce Commission regulatory oversight of the telegraph rates. By 1934, the Communications Act was created, establishing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It regulated radio, telegraph, and telephone communications. Due to the advancement in technology at this time, the radio and telephone diminished the impact of the telegraph.

Impact of the Telegraph

The positives:

The telegraph had a pretty existential impact on the world, but before the telegraph, there was the printing press, which was invented in 1440. With the printing press, it took days, weeks, and sometimes even months to send messages across the country. However, with the telegraph, messages could be sent over long distances within minutes. This was a huge development in technology and advancement in how to easily communicate quickly. 

The telegraph improved national and international news where countries could quickly spread news and information within minutes, which also helped contribute to world peace. 

In addition, the telegraph made newspapers look like 'old news.' People found it less efficient to spread information through newspapers compared to quickly spreading information along telegraph lines. With that being said, the telegraph helped encourage the idea of 'instant messaging' and started the future creation of messages through phones. 

The negatives:

Some of the negatives with the telegraph was the potential to spread misinformation due to rapid transmission of the messages sent. Those that sent and received messages had to know morse code like the back of their hand, and if you know how morse code is typically used, it is very quick and without lots of experience, it would be easy to miss the message or completely misunderstand it. 

To add, telegraph lines that were placed were often placed in a manor that could disrupt the surrounding environment. It could displace habitats for animals and could potentially disrupt the living conditions of people.

Conclusion

Overall, it is clear to see that the telegraph was one of those inventions that helped start the snowball of technology as we know it today. It began the idea of the telephone, which eventually evolved into the cellphone, and finally into the iPhone. Without the telegraph, technology would not be as it is today.

Join me in my next discussion where I will be highlighting my views on the topic of 'Invasion of Privacy' and how I feel about some laws/rights having access to my private life.

Blog Post 2: The History & Workings of the U.S. Supreme Court

The History & Workings of the U.S. Supreme Court

In this blog post, I highlight some interesting facts that I learned about the Supreme Court that I had no prior knowledge of before an educational video I watched.

I feel as though many people often forget how important the Supreme Court is in making decisions in cases that tend to be about major controversies or issues. I know I, for one, was never taught much about the Supreme Court except that they have final say in the cases they are given and are the most powerful branch in our judicial system. However, after watching a video about the history behind the Supreme Court and how it came to be the Supreme Court we know today, I can say I have acquired much information about the Supreme Court. 

The History Behind the Supreme Court

According to the video I watched, the Supreme Court remains to this day the most powerful judicial body on earth. I was naturally surprised by the fact that it is the most powerful judicial body in the world because I would have thought that somewhere in the world, there would be some type of body that had more power than the Supreme Court, but I was wrong. 

A fact that I did already know was that the Supreme Court interprets the constitution and making sure that liberty is still pursued and they strive to preserve the union and uphold the rule of law based on the constitution. In all of American history, there have been just over a hundred Supreme Court justices, serving an average of 16 years. Many remain on the bench twice that long, even decades after the president who appointed them has left office. I had no idea that justices served for that long so that was an interesting fact I learned. 

The Process Behind Cases Given to the Supreme Court

One of the most interesting facts I learned from the video was the amount of cases the Supreme Court receives and reviews. According to the video, the Supreme Court receives more than a hundred new cases every week (about 7,000 a year). Most cases arrive as petitions for certiorari, written arguments attempting to persuade the court that a lower court ruling was incorrect. The court accepts very few of these cases for full consideration--only about a hundred a year. 

Newly arrived petitions, along with written arguments in cases already accepted, are sent to the justices once a week. In their private office, each justice is assisted by a small staff of law clerks and secretaries to help review the cases. However, the justices themselves are expected to individually be responsible for deciding each case. From there, the justices meet weekly in their chambers to choose which cases the court will accept and decide, and to discuss and vote on cases which have already been argued. 

Within a few days after hearing arguments, the justices gather in their conference room to vote on the case. In this room, the nine justices are alone. There are no law clerks or even a secretary. After the justices vote to decide a case in the conference room, one of the justices on the majority side is assigned to write an opinion explaining the legal reasons for the decision. From this information, the video explains that "opinion writing for the justices is the most time-consuming part of the justice's work." 

Take-Away Points with the Supreme Court

One of the most important key takeaways about the Supreme Court--in my opinion--is the lengthy process of how the justices decide on a case that is brought to them. Before watching the video, I assumed that the court would take some time in processing the cases they received, but I find it extremely important that I now know the entire process behind cases being decided upon. 

The most surprising thing I learned would have to be how long it takes justices to actually finish a first draft of the court's opinion in about four weeks. That was a surprising length of time to me; I honestly would have thought a draft would take a few hours. 

Conclusion

After viewing the educational video about the Supreme Court, I have a completely different insight in how the Supreme Court functions. I believe the information I was able to collect from the video deeply helped be better understand our justice system, and with that understanding, I hope I can be a better American citizen in my understanding of our laws. 

**If you would like to view the videos I watched, you can find their links here --> Part I & Part II **

In my next blog post, I will be discussing the Eight Values of Freedom!