Evidence Performed by Claude Shannon
- NameThe Barbed-Wire Telegraph System
- Description
Living half a mile away from his childhood friend created a severe barrier for spontaneous communication, while the cost of purchasing commercial telegraph wire was prohibitively expensive for local youth. Claude Shannon resolved this challenge by utilizing the pre-existing metal barbed-wire fences running between their rural properties as a makeshift electrical conductor, wiring up home-made telegraph keys and acoustic sounders on both ends. This innovative hack successfully established a functional, long-distance telegraphic link that allowed the pair to transmit messages, sparking Shannon's deep fascination with code structures and electrical signal networks.
- Start Date1928-06-01
- Duration3 months
- TypePersonal
- Primary ResponsibilitiesStripping and connecting scrap electrical wiring to outdoor agricultural barbed-wire fences Fabricating rudimentary telegraph keys and sounder mechanisms out of scrap metal parts Transmitting and decoding basic alphanumeric messages over an improvised electrical network
Used Skills
- Rankof 18Details(name, duration, recency, competency)NameDurationRecencyCompetency
- Problem Solving16 years78 years agoAdvanced Beginner7
- Scientific Modeling & Prototyping31 years36 years agoNovice3
- Systems Thinking5 years78 years agoNovice5
- Telegraphic Circuit Assembly3 months98 years agoNovice1