The telegraph was the first major advance in communications technology. In 1838 Samuel Morse perfected and demonstrated the first telegraph machine. His machine used Morse code to send electronic currents along a wire, enabling the first high-speed long-distance communications. By 1850 the telegraph was widespread. In 1861, Western Union installed the first transcontinental line, and in 1866, the first transatlantic line was completed. At the time, telegraphs were all typed by hand and transcribed from Morse code into English by ear. Fredrick Creed invented a way to convert Morse code to text in what became known as the Creed Telegraph System. This was 1900, and by 1914 these automatic transmissions handled double what a person could. Western Union developed multiplexing in 1913, allowing a single cable to transmit eight messages simultaneously. With the invention of the teleprinter in 1925, machines almost entirely replaced humans in the telegraph industry. The invention of the telegraph was monumental in American society. Companies could open branches across the country and communicate quickly and efficiently with their separate headquarters. During the Second World War the telegraph had an extraordinary value. It made instant communication possible between commanding officers, even between other armies. On an individual level, the telegram made communication possible between family and friends around the world. For the first time in history a new object could travel around the world in one day. Thanks to this availability of new information, people remained more informed and in return were more involved in national issues. Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray both independently designed a telephone in the 1870s. However, Bell... middle of paper... only terminals connected to a common system were able to communicate with each other, but it was still much simpler than a telegram. In the late 1970s and 1980s, the growth of personal computers led to major advances in email technologies. Since the advent of the Internet around 1995, email communication between personal computers has become increasingly available. The ability to send email has affected American society in a variety of ways. Unlike the telephone, email made communication less personal, but more convenient. Both sides could now send and receive information whenever they wanted. There was no longer a need for expensive long-distance phone calls to communicate with people around the world. It has almost supplanted the post office. Email has shrunk the world even further; instant worldwide communication became simple and cheap.