Telecommunications Collection

Red Telephone Box in London, England

Sputnik 1 stamp. Artwork of Sputnik 1, the worlds first artificial satellite, on a stamp issued by the communist government of the former Soviet Union. Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4th, 1957

Marconi radio valve. This is a Marconi transmitter valve of the type M.T.6. Marconi patented his radio equipment in 1896, founding a company in 1897 to build the new equipment

Early fire brigade street alarm
Early fire brigade alarm system. Historical artwork of a fireman testing a 19th-century combined telephonic and telegraphic street fire alarm system

Sputnik 1 postcard. Artwork of Sputnik 1, the worlds first artificial satellite, on a postcard issued by the communist government of the former Soviet Union

Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station, aerial photograph. Goonhilly is the largest satellite Earth receiving station in the world with sixty communications dishes in total

Advert promoting the Post Office Telephone Service. Date: 1932

The New Magic: Sending Pictures by Wireless and the Unescapable Telephone, c1935. From Our Wonderful World, Volume II, edited by J.A. Hammerton. [The Amalgamated Press, Ltd. London]

Arecibo message and decoded key C016 / 6817
Arecibo message and decoded key. Diagram showing the binary transmission (left) known as the Arecibo message, with the message decoded and labelled at centre and right

Wireless officer sending a message by Morse Code from on board a ship, 1916
Wireless officer sending a message by morse code from on board a ship, 1916. Wireless telegraphy at sea was made possible by the type of sending

Channel tunnel. Historical artwork of a tunnel beneath the English Channel through which Napoleons troops are moving to invade England

Konstantin Buteyko, Soviet doctor
Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko (1923-2003), Soviet medical doctor and researcher. In the 1950s, Buteyko, a Ukrainian, developed a theory on the effects of deep breathing (hyperventilation)

Guglielmo Marconi, radio inventor
Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937), Italian physicist and inventor of the radio. Marconi patented his radio system in Britain, established the Marconis Wireless Telegraph Company in London in 1897

Telegraph poles following the transcontinental railroad
Linemen stringing telegraph wire beside the transcontinental railroad on the Great Plains, 1860s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Telegraph key, 1860s
Civil War telegraph sending-key in working order, living history demonstration, Shiloh National Battlefield, Tennessee. Digital photograph

Zizkov TV tower at sunrise, Prague, Bohemia, Czech Republic

The top of the British Telecom BT Tower, London. Date: circa early 1980s

The switchboard at the Newcastle Telephone Exchange. 24th Januaray 1931

Telegraph printer, 1889 C013 / 8777
Telegraph printer. 19th-century artwork of a telegraph printer developed by Moore and Wright in the 1880s. The electric telegraph had been developed in the 1830s and 1840s

Modern fax-answering machine, front view

A large antenna operated at Deep Space Station 41 in Australia
This 26 meter (85 foot) antenna operated in Woomera (Island Lagoon), Australia at Deep Space Station (DSS) 41, established in August 1960

Sputnik 1 rocket track. Long exposure photograph of the night sky showing the track of the rocket that carried Sputnik 1, the worlds first artificial satellite

Telegraph receiver. Historical artwork of a Breguet telegraph receiver. Messages arrived at the receiver in wires as a series of long and short electric pulses

Marconi radio apparatus
Marconi radio equipment. This is a Marconi type 31 crystal receiver for ships. Marconi patented his radio equipment in 1896, founding a company in 1897 to build the new equipment

Optical fibres. Bundle of optical fibres conducting light. These fibres are made of very pure glass which is coated so as to allow light to be transmitted without absorption or loss of intensity

Old and new methods of communication. At right is the former home of Samuel Morse (1791-1872), who invented the electric telegraph and the Morse code

Utility pipes, artwork
Utility pipes. Cut-away computer artwork showing the various utility pipes and cables under a city street. Included here are pipes for drinking water, waste water, sewage and gas

Early telephone, historical artwork
Early telephone. Historical artwork of three men gathered around an early telephone. The man at right is talking into the speaking tube

Demonstration of the wireless telephone, June 1920. In the 1920s, broadcasting was still in its infancy, with radio transmitters and receivers owned only by amateur enthusiasts

Valentia in 1857-1858 at the Time of the Laying of the Former Cable, 1865

Foilhummerum Bay, Valentia, from Cromwell Fort: The Caroline Laying the Earthwire on July 21st, 1865, 1865

Alexander G. Bell, Scottish-US inventor C017 / 7105
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), Scottish-US inventor, using a telephone, his most famous invention. Bell followed his father and grandfather into the speech therapy profession

Telephone bureau exchange, 1889
Telephone bureau exchange. 19th-century artwork of woman operating the exchange at a telephone bureau. They are using receivers to listen to incoming calls and using the wires

Wireless communication
MODEL RELEASED. Wireless communication. Boy using a bluetooth hands-free headset for his mobile phone

Olivetti Advert 1928
An Olivetti typewriter is held aloft by Hermes, messenger of the gods and patron of the telecommunications industry

Telegraph operator in Irkutsk, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front, between 1880 and 1886. Creator: Unknown
Telegraph operator in Irkutsk, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front, between 1880 and 1886. Written on verso: Telegraph operator in Irkutsk who spoke the language of Shakespeare's time

Members of the Krasnoyarsk chess circle, participants of the telegraphic match between.... 1888. Creator: Lukhtanska
Members of the Krasnoyarsk chess circle, participants of the telegraphic match between the teams of Krasnoyarsk and St. Petersburg from 11 November 1886 to September 1888

The International Exhibition: Ward's night-signal telegraph, 1862. Creator: Unknown
The International Exhibition: Ward's night-signal telegraph, 1862....an ingenious system of marine telegraph, consisting of flags for day

Queen Elizabeth II visits Plessey in Liverpool, and is seen here asking one of the System X production workers about her job

Boers Caught in the Act of Cutting the Telegraph Wires, 1902. Creators: Walter Paget
Boers Caught in the Act of Cutting the Telegraph Wires, 1902. Telegraph wires were cut and railways sabotaged by the Boers. From " South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol

The Sky Tower at Auckland, New Zealand

Rail fence with poor barbed wire fence in foreground, Person County, North Carolina, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Rail fence with poor barbed wire fence in foreground. Note telephone line. Person County, North Carolina

Woman on Phone, New York, USA, June 1984

Cashier Doreen Bone of Dixons with one of the new legal CB Radios. With legal Citizens Band coming in on the 2 November 1981, the North East has gone crackers over the peoples radio. 31st October 1981

CB Radio buffs Paul Bradwell, alias The Badger, (left) and Joseph Hunt, alias Bluebird II. 2nd August 1983

Operator on the Mayfair Exchange, 1932, (1933). Creator: Unknown
Operator on the Mayfair Exchange, 1932, (1933). Telephone exchange operator in Mayfair, central London. From " The Pageant of the Century". [Odhams Press Ltd, 1933]

The Great Eastern, 1860: The Vessel leaving Southampton on her First Voyage, June 17, (1901). The SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel with John Scott

First transatlantic telephone call, from London to New York, 7 March 1926, (1935). Ringing Up " Uncle Sam"...the actual scene at the switchboard when London spoke to America by radio

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"From Red Telephone Boxes to Satellite Communication: A Journey through Telecommunications History" Step into the past and explore the fascinating world of telecommunications. 📞🌍 1️⃣ In London, iconic red telephone boxes stand as a symbol of communication, connecting people near and far. 2️⃣ The Sputnik 1 stamp commemorates the historic moment when humanity ventured beyond Earth's atmosphere, paving the way for satellite communications. 3️⃣ Marconi radio valves revolutionized wireless communication, enabling messages to be transmitted across vast distances effortlessly. 4️⃣ Early fire brigade street alarms served as an early form of emergency communication, ensuring swift response in times of crisis. 5️⃣ Sending postcards featuring Sputnik 1 allowed people to share their excitement about space exploration and its impact on telecommunications. 6️⃣ Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station played a crucial role in transmitting signals from satellites orbiting our planet, bridging continents with ease. 7️⃣ Guglielmo Marconi, hailed as the father of radio invention, pioneered wireless telegraphy that transformed global communication forever. 8️⃣ The Arecibo message intrigued scientists worldwide—a coded key (C016 / 6817) unlocking potential extraterrestrial contact within its enigmatic contents. 🛸 9️⃣ Witnessing history unfold at Newcastle Telephone Exchange's switchboard on January 24th, 1931—operators diligently connected calls amidst buzzing wires and ringing bells. 🔟 From aboard a ship in 1916, a wireless officer skillfully tapped out Morse Code messages—an essential means of maritime communication during wartime. ⚓ 🔁 Telegraph poles lining transcontinental railroads facilitated rapid information exchange across vast landscapes—uniting nations like never before.