Category Communication

We know that Marconi was the first person to build a machine that could produce radio waves by making a powerful electric spark. His radio set could send messages, but the first radio broadcast occurred on Christmas Eve in 1906, and was made by Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian engineer, from Massachusetts in US. Wireless operators on ships at sea were the first people to hear this broadcast. They were amazed to hear a human voice coming from their instruments as someone spoke. Then a women’s voice rose in song! Many of them called their officers to come and listen, and soon, the wireless rooms were crowded. Next, someone was heard reading a poem. Then there was a violin solo… and then a man made a speech   In this first broadcast, Fessenden himself played ‘Holy Night, Silent Night’ on the violin. He also read Christmas story from the Bible (Book of Luke) and played a phonograph recording of Handle’s ‘Largo’. It was truly a Christmas Eve to remember!

Phone lines are not used only for conversations. If you have a videophone, you can actually see who you are talking to, as the phone lines are used for faxes through which you can send pictures, photos, and letters. Computers also use phone lines for an Internet connection, with which you can browse and chat for hours!

Handling of mail often exposes postal workers to dust, especially when the mail bags are opened. Sometimes, dangerous chemicals may be split, and there are also electrical hazards that workers have to face. So postal systems have always been interested in mechanizing post offices. Between World War 1 and II, many postal systems introduced conveyor belts to move mail between handling points. The letter sorting office at Mount Pleasant in London was one of the most highly mechanized in the world Gradually, machines were introduced to prepare mail, and sort small letters from the bigger ones. There were also machines to stamp the date on letters and to put them neatly into sacks In modern, mechanized sorting systems, workers sit at a keyboard while letters are mechanically passed in front of them. Approximately fifty to sixty letters each minute are processed by the operator. Based upon the code entered by the operator, the letters are segregated into different bins, and then removed, bundled and dispatched by the postal workers

Only one country is permitted to issue postage stamps without including their country’s name. This is Great Britain. It was the first country to issue postage stamps in 1840. In place of its country’s name, Britain is allowed to include an image of its ruling monarch.

As postal systems developed, and the volume of mail they handled increased, many problems cropped up. To begin with, the cost of transport was high, and it was also difficult to calculate the exact cost of letters sent to other countries.Delivery was often slow, and this resulted in people using other means to send their messages. Many illegal postal services sprang up, causing financial losses to official postal systems. Gradually, these problems were overcome. The introduction of the postage stamp by Henry Bishop did away with uncertainties regarding that should pay the cost, and regularized charges. Since the day and month were also printed on the steps, unnecessary delays could be checked Today, we have speed post which guarantees 24 hours delivery to most places. We have come a long way indeed from the days when it sometimes took weeks for an urgent letter to reach us!

In 1680, a merchant named William Dockwra organized the London Penny Post, which delivered mail anywhere in London for just one penny. He also introduced the practice of postmarking letters to indicate when and where they had been posted.The penny post had seven post offices, and 400 collection boxes throughout London. Letters were delivered ten or twelve times a day in the centre of London, and four or five times in the suburbs. However, the penny post became so successful that the government took control of the operation in 1682, and absorbed it into the Post Office. From then on, charges gradually increased, and letters were no longer delivered for a penny.