Handmade Telegraph Key
Handmade Telegraph Key
Usage conditions apply
- Description (Brief)
- Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. A semi-automatic key or "bug" repeated the Morse code dots rapidly. The operator still keyed the dashes but could work much faster. This semi-automatic key was hand-made by an American soldier in early 1944. The catalog card from Western Union reported: "Bug made by Corporal Julian N. Jablin while on the Anzio Beachead [sic]. It was made of scrap brass from a shell case, plastic from a German plane that had been shot down and hardware from an Italian clock. It was actually used in radio communication until the operator on the other end told Cpl. Jablin to change to his left foot."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- telegraph key
- semi-automatic key
- sending key
- date made
- 1944
- maker
- Jablin, Julian N.
- Physical Description
- metal (overall material)
- plastic (overall material)
- cloth (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 2 3/4 in x 3 1/8 in x 8 1/2 in; 6.985 cm x 7.9375 cm x 21.59 cm
- ID Number
- EM.331323
- accession number
- 294351
- collector/donor number
- 100-049
- catalog number
- 331323
- Credit Line
- from Western Union Corporation
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Electricity
- Telegraph Keys
- Communications
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.
