Background of Morse’s telegraph: Electricity and magnetism have been known since ancient times, magnetism was discovered when man noticed that the mineral called magnetite was able to attract metal objects. Electricity was observed through storms, friction with wool was also noted, skin transmitted it or amber, transmits electricity on contact. In the book “De mangnete” the physician William Gilbert (1544-1603) describes his experiments with a magnetized sphere called terrella, on which he placed needles; identifying magnetism as a property of matter and recognizing the generation of magnetic energy by friction.