On January 6th, 1838 Samuel Morse successfully demonstrated the electrical telegraph for the first time at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey. The telegraph used electric impulses to transmit encoded messages over a wire and revolutionized long-distance communication. Morse’s invention was the precursor to modern day phone service, faxes and email. Lucky for me telecommunication technology evolved rapidly during the twentieth century. Traveling with four handhelds is hard enough!