May 24, 1844 - Samuel B. Morse Sends First Telegraph

Samuel B. Morse is well known for inventing Morse Code and the telegraph. On May 24, 1844, Morse sent the first telegraph message from the old Supreme Court chamber in Washington, D.C., to the B&O Railroad station in Baltimore. The first message was chosen by the daughter of the director of the patent office, and she chose a passage from Numbers 23:23 that reads “What hath God wrought.” Many nations have since honored him with medals and awards (pictured).