Mobile Communications (story)

A small entertaining bit about the origins of “mobile” technology….

Mobile communications: Quite simply, the ability to communicate while moving. Wireless technologies like cordless telephony and cellular allow you to communicate on the go. Wired technologies, like copper wire and fiber optics, don’t work if you might break the wire, or run out of wire. One of the great stories about mobile communications involves wires.

According to William E. Kennard, FCC Chairman, and as included in a speech he made in 1998, the U.S. military faced a problem in 1907. The cavalry needed to communicate when on patrol. So, one horse solider would ride behind the troops, unreeling wire along the ground. When a message needed to be sent back to the base camp, the soldier would jump off his horse, plant a metal stake in the ground, and send a message via Morse code. This process slowed the progress of the troop. Military engineers came up with a solution. They put a copper patch on the horse’s skin! Since a horse always has one hoof on the ground, the circuit was complete! Therefore, the scouts could send a message while riding. (No mention was made of the effect on the horse)