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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Granville T. Woods

For Students 9th - 10th
Inventor Granville T. Woods is featured in this brief biography for his multiplex telegraph which was a useful invention for the railroad industry.
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Handout
Other

Samuel Finley Breeze Morse

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides biographical information on Samuel Morse as well as information on his invention of the telegraph. (Pictures no longer load.)
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: A Historic Message

For Students 9th - 10th
This site, which is provided for by the Library of Congress, gives information on the first telegraph invented and the first message ever transmitted.
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Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Famous Americans: Samuel Morse

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn brief information concerning Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph, who was featured on the two cent postage stamp.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Samuel f.b. Morse

For Students 3rd - 8th
Provides a short biography of Samuel F.B. Morse, and his invention of the one-wire telegraph and the Morse Code. Also contains pictures.
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: Speeding Communications

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief look at spread of information at increased speeds due to technological advances such as the telegraph, and the increase in newspaper circulation.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: West Side Story: Birth of a Classic

For Students 9th - 10th
View the online exhibit featuring photographs, documents--opening night telegraphs, letters, notes by Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein, set designs--and other items such as posters, DVD covers, and a pair of slippers worn in the...
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Primary
PBS

Pbs the West: The Pacific Railway Act: July 1, 1862

For Students 9th - 10th
The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," provides the text of the actual Pacific Railway Act, designed to aid in the construction of a Railroad and Telegraph Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.
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Website
Canada Science and Technology Museum

Canada Science and Technology Museum: An Exhibit on Communications

For Students 9th - 10th
Follow the development of telecommunications from the earliest times to the most advanced technologies! Useful research tool highlighting the telegraph, telegram, telephone todigital networks and computing in Canada.
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Handout
Curated OER

National Park Service: Thomas Edison National Historical Park: Edison Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is a very detailed biography of Thomas Edison ranging from his boyhood and his work as a telegrapher, moving on to his invention of the phonograph and incandescent light bulb, and finally, a description of his laboratories where he...
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Handout
Nobel Media AB

The Nobel Prize: Guglielmo Marconi Biographical

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site from The Nobel Foundation you can read about the life and scientific work of Guglielmo Marconi. This man was recognized for his work in "the development of wireless telegraphy". He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in...
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eBook
Central Intelligence Agency

Cia: Intelligence in the Civil War [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A multi-topic look at intelligence gathering, the tools used, and the people involved in both the North and the South during the Civil War. Comprehensive, interesting coverage from the CIA.
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Handout
Rutgers University

Thomas Edison Papers: Biography of Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
The first person to make the storage battery practical, with 147 patents, Edison's life is a testimony to invention. This biography, in outline form, is in two parts; go to 1879 site after this.
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Handout
Princeton University

Princeton University: Joseph Henry

For Students 9th - 10th
A really fine and complete biography, quite lengthy. Some emphasis placed on his time at Princeton. A great deal of detail can be found here. Link here to the Joseph Henry House.
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Website
University of Virginia

University of Virginia: Alexander Graham Bell's Path to the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed survey of the invention and evolution of the telephone. This scholarly article includes a Master Map that shows Bell's thought processes as he developed the telephone, with each step linked to more in-depth information. The...
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Website
University of California

The Bancroft Library: Italian Americans in California

For Students 9th - 10th
An introduction to the history and culture of Italian immigrants and their descendants in California from 1687 to the present. Shows how the people, industries, and neighborhoods of an area change over time. Includes a virtual exhibit...
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Website
Other

Federal Communications Commission: About the Fcc

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the FCC provides an in-depth look at the Federal Communications Commission and the job it performs.
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Handout
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Joseph Henry Lays Groundwork for the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the man who most encouraged Bell to invent the telephone. Bell said, "But for Henry, I never would have gone ahead with the telephone." This is a fascinating account both of Bell's invention and of Henry's life. Half a biography,...
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides information on American inventors Benjamin Franklin, Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Singer, Wilbur Wright, Thomas Alva Edison, Elias Howe, and Alexander Graham Bell. It offers pictures from and...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: More About Bell

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of the larger site about Alexander Graham Bell from the series, American Experience, this biography focuses mainly on his education and experimentation which resulted in his development of the telephone. Included is information...
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Website
US Army Center

U.s. Army Center of Military History: Getting the Message Through: Civil War Organization and Training

For Students 9th - 10th
An exhaustive look at the Signal Corps, the legislation behind its formation, and its many uses during the Civil War. Find the equipment used, the code for the signal flags, and pictures of the troops. This is a very detailed and...
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Website
PBS

Pbs: Transistorized!

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a tour of the discovery and development of the transistor form PBS, including video and lesson plans.
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Website
Other

Lee De Forest, American Inventor: The Complete Lee De Forest

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive site covering all aspects of Lee de Forest, his inventions, writings, and personal life. Find drawings and pictures of his audion tube and find out about his legacy, especially in the world of electronics.
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Thomas Edison's Places of Invention

For Students 9th - 10th
An article by Paul Israel from the Prototype newsletter discusses the various laboratories used by Thomas Edison as he was developing his inventions.

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