Evidence Performed by Claude Shannon

  • Name
    Western Union Telegraph Messenger Employment
  • Description

    The local townspeople and commercial businesses of Gaylord, Michigan, required rapid, accurate distribution of incoming long-distance telegrams before residential telephone lines were widely available. Shannon took a part-time job as a bicycle messenger boy for Western Union, handling incoming message printouts, planning delivery routes across town, and interacting daily with real-world telecommunication systems. This operational experience gave him a practical, ground-level understanding of commercial message routing, encoding formats, and network delivery logistics.

  • Start Date
    1930-05-01
  • Duration
    2 years
  • Type
    Professional
  • For
    Western Union Telegraph Company
  • Title
    Telegraph Messenger Boy
  • Primary Responsibilities
    Sorting and verifying destination addresses for incoming telegram dispatches Navigating local municipal geography via bicycle to ensure timely delivery of text communiques Observing the mechanical operations of office telegraph equipment and Morse code operators

Used Skills