Claude Chappe and the Napoleon Telegraph
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- čas přidán 1. 03. 2022
- The development of technology for speedy long-distance communication dates back to antiquity, and reached its pre-electronic peak in the telegraph before Samuel Morse’s telegraph. Before wires crossed the world, Napoleonic France could send a message from Paris to Lille, a distance of some 250 kilometers, in ten minutes.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #France
I used to love watching the Signalmen on my ship practice both semaphore and Morse code using a signal lamp with neighboring ships. Even in today's modern era, with satellite communications encompassing the globe, ship-to-ship communication can still be made using these time and tested methods.
Navies continue to practice traditional astronomical navigation with paper maps as well, because in a real crisis you can't trust electronics to work correctly.
@@evensgrey For a while, the US Naval Academy stopped teaching celestial navigation, believing that it was obsolete in today's world.
They quietly brought it back a few years later after discovering just how vulnerable satellite navigation systems are to cyber attack.
@@TomKeown Not just cyber attack, either. They can be easily jammed, which is a really old method of attacking radio-based systems. Probably the first thing that happened after a military first deployed radio-based equipment was an enemy devised jamming. (Which is one of two main reason that well-run navies keep signal lamps in use. The other is radio gives away your position, even if the enemy can't read your codes, while signal lamps can only be read by the enemy if they're so close you should already be shooting at each other.)
@@evensgrey And proficiency in Morse comes in handy. It can get through the worst of comms difficulties when voice and data fail. Dropping the Morse requirement for Amateur licenses just turned Amateur Radio back to CB.
It's interesting that Pratchett (who loved bringing historical things into his Discworld) used a matrix of black/white squares for signaling via his Clacks instead of the arms-with-angles used here.
The 'clacks' looked a bit like the Murray System used from the 1790s onwards on the London to Portsmouth telegraph.
Clearly based on the UK system.
I adore the fact that GNU Terry Pratchett is hidden in many Http headers
David Weber also used such a semaphore system in his Safehold series of novels. There the Church of God Awaiting's semaphore towers were massive having the capability of sending multiple messages at once. Missions to cut those semaphore lines feature in several of the books.
I was also going to say something about Pratchett's Clacks. Like many of Pratchett's works, he shows how the social impacts of many of our modern inventions do not depend on the details of their technological implementation, but instead on core aspects of human behavior.
I think it's worth noting that semaphore communications occur at the speed of light.
Only between two towers
And only in clear weather.
The latency is what slows it down (slow processing speed in the meatware)🧠
Oh, don't overthink it, you naysaying commenters! The Yellow Devil's statement was simply that semaphore communications occur at the speed of light, and they DO.
More like the speed of the operators.
This brings to mind how difficult it would be to do the remote learning via this network as opposed to the current system.
Telegraph sex would be really cumbersome.
Wow! You Tube would have been a bear...
I find it fascinating that people were making telegraphs before Samuel Morse made his electric one in 1843.
The first patent for a fax machine was also 1843
First something is invented but then someone has to make a practical version
The HELIOGRAPH would be another example to explore
@@yondie491 Well, not so much a fax machine as an analog copier with an electric middle stage, which could then be connected through an electric telegraph line. Like so many of these extremely clever devices, it used synchronized pendulums as an essential part of the mechanism. It was used to transmit pictures rather than text, from what I understand.
@@evensgrey so...
... a fax machine. Got it.
Terry Pratchett had a visual telegraph system in his fictional "Diskworld" novels.
I thought of The Clacks too
GNU Terry Pratchett
You may like to take a look at Keith Roberts' "Pavane" - specifically, "The Signaller".
In the 1970s as a Boy Scout I was trained in flag semaphore. I always thought that it was a very old, even ancient technology, so I am a bit surprised to find out it is not that old.
It's an evolution of an ancient system.
@@andybrown4284 Were flags used by the Ancient Greeks or Byzantine Cultures ?
@@highpath4776 Given that armies like the romans used banners to identify the different sections within a legion it's not too far of a stretch to consider that they would have some method for communication that used flags when things like fire or warhorns weren't a viable option.
There was a lot of overlap between the empires of the mediteranean so chances are the greeks and byzantines probably had something similar.
@@andybrown4284 Its not really pointed out on the Military Freezes, I suppose the line of sight idea only works with decent sight and you can see the opposition anyway.
There was also the wigwag single flag method used in the American Civil War by both sides. One is briefly shown in the background of the "Gettysburg" movie.
Birmingham Alabama has a large statue on top of a mountain that is " Vulcan, the God of Iron and Steal " . Vulcan holds in his hand, high above his head, a light that is visible from almost everywhere in Birmingham. The light is used to send a message to all of those who can see it.
The light remains green if nobody has been killed in a vehicle accident in Birmingham, and if someone has been killed that day in a vehicle accident, the light turns red. I was always fascinated by this message that was being transmitted to so many people, in an attempt to make people more aware of the dangers of driving wrecklessly, or by becoming distracted.
Even in this day of mass communication,
The statue of Vulcan is sending a message 24 hours a day, every day of the year, reminding people to slow down and be careful, and try to keep the light green.
Or if is red, to remember that traffic had already claimed at least one life on this day. Such a simple signal, designed to curve everyone's behavior and awareness of all those who can see it.
The torch was apparently removed in 1999 so it sadly no longer does this.
@@TheInfidel_SlavaUA Wellllll...not so much "theft", exactly. More like "borrowing-and-forgetting". Yeah, that's it! That's the ticket! :-)
@@Del_S what idiot or idiots made that decision?
it should be for people murdered in Birmingham Alabama. It would be red almost all year long.
Recklessly, the opposite of wrecklessly.
I first learned of these telegraphs (or semaphores) many decades ago, from reading some of the Hornblower books by C. S. Forester. I see it was Forester's usual historical accuracy trying to educate me.
Me too!!
I was so sad when I found I had read through all of the Hornblower episodes. Just like when I learned the same after the original James Bond episodes.
Specifically, Hornblower (fictional character) burned down a tower near Brest in Hornblower and the Hotspur in 1804. And there is mention of the British system in Hornblower & the Crisis, which takes place in 1805.
@@ronstewtsaw Excellent! I knew of both, but was too lazy to research each one. Thanks!
There is a building in Syracuse New York that has a tower on top that lights up with colors that indicate the coming weather and temperatures . It can be seen for miles around the countryside
I attended Syracuse University many years ago. I remember it well.
Every innovation starts somewhere. And remember, we landed men on the moon with slide rules for the most part. Thanks for the fascinating segment.
Technically, that's a myth. You can't do orbital calculations on a slide ruler.
@@evensgrey
But you can design the vehicles with slide rules.
And for that matter, orbital calculations can be done using slide rules.
I'd imagine that Chappe would marvel at the modern internet, but not be at all that surprised.
Very interesting
Another excellent episode, real history rocks!!!🙏👍📖😷
09:27 what an amazing map/drawing. His or her use of shading gives the walls a 3D effect.
Good show as always thank you
I love that you mentioned the Count of Monte Cristo! That's the first thought that popped into my head when I saw what this episode was about.
ALMIGHTY ALGORITHM, for which we watch, bless this educated educator with views, shares, and ad space.
From this, to smart phones, & in just a couple of centuries. Astounding.
Thanks! I enjoyed this one! Patric O’Brian in his Aubrey/Maturin books (Master & Commander Movie) described the French Telegraph and set up an interesting scenario of a chase between the information transmission and people on the ground and on sea. It’s a pretty brilliant tool for a country to put into place!
Great subject!
I had just read a book on Mr chappe. Very interesting and so sad an ending to a bright man. Napoleon was wise to see the value in this method and used it well.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.....but hey, they could tell you about it
Studies this is a media technologies class at university, all I could think of since then is how good a movie this could all make
There is not much I have not learned. This video is new information. Thanks history guy
I’m glad you covered the “wire fraud” story as I’ve heard that part of the story before as an early case of hackers.
Like many things we take for granted today, it started much longer ago than most would even imagine. From humble beginnings, a device of necessity. For the safety of a country and it's people.
The crime of the Blanc brothers wasn’t so much wire fraud as misuse of government property. They weren’t attempting to defraud anyone, except perhaps the time of the people running the system. Rather, they used the system to transmit movements of the stock exchanges faster than that information could otherwise move, allowing them to take advantage of the arbitrage. In a sense, it was the ancient version of trading companies building their own faster internet links
They were stealing bandwidth. Using communications service without paying for it. Similar to phone phreaking in recent decades, where people figured out how to go to a pay phone booth and get free long distance calls in the 1970s.
It was not exactly INSIDE INFORMATION.
RATHER, PRIVILEGED INFORMATION.
HAVING SPECIAL ADVANTAGES NEITHER AVAILABLE NOR AFFORDED TO THE COMMON TRADERS.
ET ÇA MES AMIS, REPRESENT UN CRIME.
PORTANTO, MEUS AMIGOS, ISSO SERIA UM CRIME .
KINDLY BEAR IN MIND THAT INSIDE INFORMATION WAS NOT CRIMINALIZED IN MOST OF THE COUNTRIES 20 YEARS AGO.
@@albertseabra9226 STOP YELLING AT US
@@RCAvhstape Right, my mistake.
Sorry, didn't mean to be rude.
Good luck ,
A
@@albertseabra9226 lol no biggie
Telegraph hill in San Francisco was I understand named for the ship to shore systems. The name “semaphore” for the nautical specific flag system wasn’t yet common and people still used both terms.
Thank you.
I remember as a Boy Scout making a semaphore flag and practicing with other Scouts. We also learned Morse code. Fun times.
I still use Morse code for Amateur Radio.
Alexander Bain and the first fax machine would also be a good topic for a video!
What a great invention. This was a very interesting video.
Back in the Saddle Again. Giddy Up !
Several buildings survive of the Holyhead to Liverpool Telegraph system in the UK. To synchronise the clocks in the repeater station a signal was sent from end to end then back again at the same time each day, covering a total of 144 miles which was normally done in less than a minute.
Great episode! Previous to watching this, I was unaware of the "Napoleon telegraph". It is great to know: thank you.
Perhaps, you would do a video on the history of the heliograph at some point!
What Hath God Wrought?! Another History Guy Episode Thankfully!
I was introduced to the Chappe Telegraph at the age of 12 through C.S. Forrester's Horatio Hornblower books.
Your mind is fascinating.
Your doublespeak is fluent.
Your patriotism is unquestionable.
Well done, old Chappe!
I have the bell turned on for your channel. I didn't get a notification you'd posted.
I'm not certain that it is THG that controls that. I think it is youtube. I haven't received a notification in the last 2 weeks. I am going to unsubscribe and delete notifications and then sign up again and see if that helps.
Well done fellows!!
I’ve always been fascinated by semaphore and signal flags. I knew of the Napoleon Telegraph, but this is the best account of it’s history I’ve heard. Thanks for the lesson!
Wow so interesting I always enjoy learning something new with you Thank you🤗👍
I found the illustration with the bird sitting on the cross member very funny, but I'll bet that bird didn't enjoy the perch for long! 🐦🌞
Pretty cool video. They weren’t kidding when they said There’s nothing new under the sun!
Fantastic! I’ve always wondered about semaphore & I had no idea about Napoleons involvement & it’s use in his tactics. Amazing!👍
I'm blown away. Not by the Chappe System, but by the fact there's a Railroad Telegraphy magazine in existence. My father, who fought in WWII, was a drill sergeant first and then, as volunteers dried up they sent him over. As a sharpshooter and telegrapher. Once he got liberated from a German POW camp, he came home to work as a telegrapher for the Union Pacific. He's been gone since 1999, but I'd love to get a hold of some of those editions.
Brings back memories of working on the Signaling Merit Badge when in the Boy Scouts. I remember much of the Morse code but very little semaphore signaling. Never saw or used carrier pigeons but they were used during WW2 by all manner of combatants.
They did a good job bringing French Resistance message back to the UK. But, since the French Resistance couldn't set up roosts, it was impossible to train the pigeons to fly to France. They were air dropped, restrained in a little harness so they couldn't fly and suspended under a small parachute.
Good one, as usual THG, however it leaves me slightly puzzled. I am fairly certain the Royal Navy had a chain of signal towers between central London, down what is now the A3 to Portsmouth Dockyard. (I know you know the route and the dockyard) Messages could be passed from the Admiralty to the Royal Dockyard in (I think) minutes and certainly an hour or so. I think it was a semaphore based system, since the RN were adept at various forms of signaling. Nelson himself was a well known and prolific originator or signals.
Apropos of which, most of the world knows of Nelson's historic signal before the battle of Trafalgar, but fewer know of a couple of interesting cameos connected with it. The old pub quiz classic is; 'What signal was flown during the battle of Trafalgar?' Not "England expects....." but #16 'Engage the enemy more closely.' When Nelson dictated the signal he wanted to make to the fleet, his Flag Lieutenant (Lt Pascoe) said; "My Lord, if I may suggest 'expects' rather than 'confides' (which Nelson had used) which has a flag, else I shall have to spell confides."? Nelson agreed and the signal was 'bent on'.
Although his famous signal probably did have an encouraging effect on the fleet, they sorely needed it, because the two divisions (one led by Adm Cuthbert Colinwood, the other by Nelson himself) had been under fire for about four hours. This was a trying time, because neither Nelson nor Colinwood could bring guns to bear to much effect. When Nelson's signal finally rippled through the fleet, Colinwood was heard to mutter rather testily; "I do wish that man would stop signaling!"
I recall a 'Telegraph Hill' near Hinchley Wood in Surrey, presumably one of the towers of this route between Portsmouth and London was built there but no longer exists. They used a system of 'Murray Shutters' (see wiki) installed in March 1796.
According to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, 'the system linked the Admiralty building in London and Portsmouth through telegraph stations, including Putney, Chessington, Haslemere, Bedhampton, and ended next to the King’s Bastion, Portsmouth. Workers at the stations would watch through telescopes and take down the message, then pass it on by pulling ropes attached to the back of the shutters to spell it out'.
'This line could send important messages from the Royal Naval base in Portsmouth to London in 7.5 minutes, far quicker than any other method of communication at the time. The next fastest method was to carry a message by horse, which would take at least 4.5 hours. One telegraph station’s journal even notes that a message was sent from London to Portsmouth in one minute'. It was operating well enough into the 1840s and was a reason given for not building an electrical telegraph on this route early on.
The system Nelson was using is a similar but distinct system from semaphore. It still utilizes flags, but it's a string of flags that are run up the mast of a ship (or a flagpole) with each flag having a corresponding meaning depending on what code is being used.
@@frglee The Telegraph Pub is still in Putney Heath off Telegraph Road. I thing the Telegraph Tower off the A3 near Cobham exists still - bit of a dark wet unlit road to reach past it to the east of the A3
Interestingly the RN still used semaphore, morse and flags by preference into world war 1, which was one of the reasons the High Seas Fleet wasn't aware that the Grand Fleet was at sea at Jutland, whereas the HSF made pridigous use of their radios. Infact the British Signals intelligence had tracked the HSF out to sea however the RN liason to them was apparently not well liked and when he asked him where DZ had last signalled from (the code associated with Derflinger, they responded in port, as that was the code she used in port as opposed to another code she used at sea) after Jellicoe encountered her at sea he then discounted all the messages as unreliable telling him that the route the HSF was taking home and so missed the chance to intercept (and probably destroy) the German Navy.
@@tomriley5790 The error there was that a specific question was asked, and the technically correct answer was given, rather than the information actually desired. The problem was Jelicoe hadn't asked the question he actually wanted the answer too, which was where was Derflinger. SigIntel KNEW Derflinger was at sea, but Jelicoe hadn't asked where she was, despite wanting to know that.
In the end, of course, it was merciful that Jelicoe didn't destroy the German navy. They never put to sea again for a fight. (There was a try, but the sailors weren't having any of the 'glorious last stand' rubbish when they just had to sit around for a bit longer and the war would be over without any meaningful change in the outcome.)
thanks
Also the first way to signal a problem with a communication network- if a telegraph operator passed on while on duty, an azure cloth was hung from the telegraph to let the other operators know that the station was down. It was the very first blue screen of death. Additionally, the station at Lille wound up being number 404 in the list of all the telegraph stations and one day due to a thunderstorm over the city, the next closest operator could not see the telegraph at Lille causing him to send the message back up the line: Erreur quatre cent quatre- Lille pas trouve.
I hate it when that happens.
Brilliant!🤣
Source? Cuz I can't find anything about this and I'm tempted to call BS.
@@benoitbvg2888 It's a joke- a play on the Microsoft "blue screen of death" and the "error 404- file not found".
@@seatedliberty being from lille and working in web dev, I really wanted to believe lol
Fascinating. How have I not heard about this before? In the 19th century, Heliograph sets were used to send a code (similar to morse code) between remote stations. It was more portable. I seem to remember a tale of Conferderate signalers in the Shenandoah Valley, signaling the movement of Union troops to Stonewall Jackson.
Love your very interesting short takes on history's mostly forgotten tales. Was wondering, as you do include Australian history, have you or would you do a segment on A. B. "Banjo" Paderson? in about 1895 his poem, "The Man from Snowy River" was published in Australia. There was a movie based on that poem done around 1982 that featured among others, Kirk Douglas. Paderson lead a pretty interesting life. Thought you and your lady might like to look in on this guy!! Thanks!
St.Peters church Broadstairs was a Royal Navy telegraph station. To this day the Royal Navy ensign is flown from the church tower on Remberance Sunday.
Fascinating. Thank You.
Throughly enjoyable and informative! Your excitement, when it comes to anything remotely involving history is wonderful and refreshing. Every episode reminds me of how such enjoyment in delivering the information would benefit our youth.
Personally, I would have enjoyed my history classes much more with you as my instructor!
Great episode!
Thank you for your research.
Thank you!
Really nice episode.
It seems to me that manning one of these semaphore stations would be incredibly monotonous. You'd have to sit there looking through the telescope at the distant semaphore all day long, waiting to see if a message is being sent.
One possible solution to that would have been for the operator of a station wanting to send a message to send up a flare to signal the next station that a message was coming, so the operator of the recieving station just had to keep an eye on the skies in the direction of the other stations, and go to his telescope when he saw a flare.
Wow, learn something new everyday with the History Guy.
If your doing this for school and you have to write notes on this video > The development of technology for speedy long-distance communication dates back to antiquity, and reached its pre-electronic peak in the telegraph before Samuel Morse’s telegraph. Before wires crossed the world, Napoleonic France could send a message from Paris to Lille, a distance of some 250 kilometers, in ten minutes.
Truly fascinating
I was a teen the first time I read The Count of Monte Cristo and I was confused when a character claimed that fog had caused misinterpretation of telegraph signals. At the time I ascribed it to a French-to-English translation error and it was only many years later that I found out about the French system.
Thanks!
O still think that the pigeons were the best stool pigeons. And they're best in BBQ sauce 😋!
Not enough meat.
Interesting how the one at 13:23 has an antenna of some kind on it, so in a way it's still in operation.
Last time I was this early I had to know moris code to send a message.
Morse
I believe I can say with absolute certainty that you are the only person on the planet who knows Moris code.
In "Hornblower and the Hotspur " the titular hero is able to block the French communication network and enable a British raid that captures a number of French coastal vessels by destroying a strategic telegraph From CS Foresters description I knew exactly what they looked like and how they operated before seeing a picture of one but I didn't know the history or broader importance until now
As always, you've taught me something. Thank you.
There’s also the African talking drums which was a long distance communication system used for centuries.
That was on the movies that didn't happen sorry
We need some happy stories. Thanks
Horatio Hornblower destroyed one of these during the Napoleonic wars. He is a forgotten hero of the Royal Navy... He was an ancestor of Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise so I have heard. :-)
We used to like the Hornblower books, when I was a kid.
I remember reading that Thomas Jefferson quote of Abraham Lincoln's webcast
Mostly, the fact that there was a REAL Captain Horatio Hornblower is the thing that people don't know. Most people know about the character in the book series.
Made me think of the old saying.. what's new is old
Thx for your work👍🇺🇸👍
Now, THIS is why I subscribe.
Thank you, again.
Reminiscent of "the Clacks" telegraph system in Terry Pratchett's Discworld stories
Absolutely fascinating! And somewhat disturbing, as I am quite interested in history, is that I had never heard of this before at all. Thank you so much, THG. Once again, I am a little more knowledgeable, and feel all the better for it.
Very nice.
Terrific video. I think one of the most popularized forms of the optical telegraph was in the Lord of the Rings, when the Beacons of Gondor were used to transmit a call for aid across vast distances. Anyone wanting to learn more about Claude Chappe’s invention should consider reading “The Victorian Internet” by Tom Standage (who is quoted in the video). It’s a fun read.
I love the semaphore scene in the book Count of Monte Christo. It undoubtedly was one of these!
I have been enlightened
THG, There are places called Telegraph Hill. I've often wondered if these were so named because a Chappe type telegraph occupied the site.
Judging by the responses here, a LOT of them appear to have been optical telegraph stations.
Perspective (History) is an interesting thing.
Great story. The FAX was started by a Scottish shepherd around 1845 with wires and sheep bones, if memory serves me. It’s a fascination history story you could present sometime.. A starting point I found was a 70’s British inventions show that’s on the internet. I’ll try to find the link..
Well done video! How long would it take to transmit this video over such a network? LOL!
Well, they say a picture's worth a thousand words, depending on the resolution.. is there a full moon out during the night of the transmission? 🌕🌞
These are still relevant. You can’t hack them, you can disguise them, you have to know where to look and how to decode to intercept and if you plan wisely, it can only be seen from a specific point without great difficulty.
Extensive coverage of this in a wonderful book titled "The Victorian Internet." While it's more about the Morse code-based telegraph, there's an entire chapter about the Chappe Telegraph.
wow i had no idea about claude chappe O.o
Very cool technology...
Still rocking with that Bowtie. Awesome! 👍
Great vid. I was expecting a note on the Mongols though.
WHAT?!?!
You're so badass, history guy!!!
🥰🔥❤
BANGER☆
Reminds me of a chaper in Keith Roberts "Pavane" a scifi book I read many, many years ago.
An excellent account, as usual. I have a signed copy of a book called “The Old Telegraphs” by Geoffrey Wilson (1976) which gives a very good overview of the early Telegraph systems, including Chappe’s. Unfortunately a number of pages are blank, having not been printed! One Semaphore Telegraph Station at Chatley Heath in Surrey, which was in operation from c.1824 - 1847, has been restored
This is very similar to the Admiralty Telegraph between London and Portsmouth. Some of the semaphore towers still stand along the route of the Portsmouth Road (modern A3). One such can be found near the junction between A3 and M25.
_The Count of Monte Christo_ brought down his enemy Danglars by bribing a telegraph operator into sending fraudulent messages relative to stock securities.
In Keith Roberts' novel Pavane these telegraphs play a very large role