Cell Phone Text Messaging: Wireless Telegrams

The phone was invented as part of the attempt to multiplex the telegraph. It was first thought to be impractical because who would want to go down to the telegraph office to talk when the telegram message could be brought to you. Western Union (the telegraph monopoly) was offered and turned down the rights to the phone.

And here we are, 130 years later, and young people are sending telegrams over their phones and it's us old fuddy duddies who think they should only be used for voice, their original purpose. The phone has now achieved something even better than the original intent - wireless telegrams.

~An interesting comment from Kevin Murphy on this CD post about how there are now more text messages than phone calls.