Blog Post #9

     Propaganda. When we think of this word we may think about the regime of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. This, however, is far from the entire picture. Propaganda is everywhere. It's on the TV you watch, it's in the books you read, and worst of all: you walk around with it in your pocket 24/7. So what is this mysterious term? How does effect us in our everyday lives? According to the Oxford dictionary, propaganda is "information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view." Despite its connotation, propaganda isn't inherently political by definition. Let's look at one example where it wasn't. 

    It was the turn of the 20th century. A young Edward Bernays and his family moved to be closer to Edward's uncle, Sigmund Freud and capitalize on new opportunities. Bernays was a visionary of sorts. According to Britannica, he was the "first to develop the idea of the professional public relations counselor—i.e., one who draws on the social sciences in order to motivate and shape the response of a general or particular audience." This was big deal, and he certainly didn't let his chance go to waste. Shortly after the first world war, Bernays and his wife opened their own Public Relations office. Some of their clients included the US War Dept. and the Lithuanian government. Among other things, Bernays is also known for his promotion of the electric industry, Ivory Soap, and Big Tobacco. Out of all of his campaigns however, I believe the most impactful was his creation of the modern American breakfast. Yes, that's right! You've been told your entire life that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What if I told you that wasn't the entire truth? This was a marketing scheme devised by Bernays and John Harvey Kellog to sell more breakfast foods. Think about that next time you have eggs, bacon, or cereal.

    Let's pivot and examine propaganda in the more traditional sense. As I mentioned before, propaganda isn't only found in totalitarian regimes. It can also be seen in democracies... even the one that we live in today. One glaring example of this happening in the USA is our invasion of Iraq. In the early 1990's, President George H.W. Bush conducted a military invasion of Iraq. He claimed that the reason for this action was that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. After the conflict had fully ended over a decade later, these weapons were never found.

    Another striking example of propaganda in our nation is that of the Gulf of Tonkin. The US Naval Institute states "On 2 August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox while the destroyer was in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin." Later on, "The United States government falsely claimed that a second incident occurred on 4 August, between North Vietnamese and United States ships in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin." The first incident was the response of the Vietnamese to US covert operations in the area. The second however, was falsified and a large reason why the US got involved in the vietnam war. 

If there's one thing you should take away from this is that propaganda is everywhere, even the places you don't expect. It's in the food we eat, the things we watch, and the people who lead us. Is that such a bad thing though? Some forms of propaganda are certainly harmful such as warmongering. Other's though, may not be such an issue. Modern day public relations and advertising are forms of propaganda and they benefit society. In the end, as long as you're doing it in an honest way and without harmful intentions, propaganda isn't all bad.

Blog Post #6

 The wired telegraph is among one of the most import inventions in the history of human communication. The reason it was so revolutionary was because this was the first technology that allowed humans to send messages over a long distance. It transformed communication in a profound way. This device was perfected and popularized by Samuel Morse in 1832. The first message sent using the telegraph was "What hath God wrought." 

    Shortly after it was revealed to the public, work began on this technology's infrastructure. In 1843, Samuel Morse build a telegraph wire from Washington D.C. to Baltimore. It was later extended to New York. By 1864, there were over 44k miles of wires. By 1866, there were 100k+. This building laid the groundwork for the brand new technology that would soon sweep the nation. 

For the first stretch of its existence, the use of the wired telegraph was very limited. This would change many years after its invention. The Communications Act of 1934 established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and consolidated federal regulation of radio, telegraph, and telephone. The act's goals included making communication services available to all Americans at reasonable rates. This meant that the use of the telegraphy became much more readily accessible to the general public. Starting in 1934, the use of the telegraph saw unprecedented rate.

The telegraph had many consequences that were unpredictable, some positive and some negative. Some major impacts of the telegraph included: faster messaging, improved news, contributed to world peace, made news papers obsolete, and helped encourage the idea of instant messaging. This was a stark contrast to the previous world of sending letters that could take weeks, if not months, to be delivered to their intended recipients. We can't forget about the negative impacts of the telegraph though, some of these included the spread of potential misinformation, miscommunication through morse code, and the disruption of the environment from telegraph line construction. Many of these issues we still see in some form today. 

The wired telegraph was a groundbreaking invention that forever changed the way humans communicate. By enabling near-instantaneous messaging over long distances, it laid the foundation for the rapid exchange of information that we now take for granted. While its influence eventually faded with the rise of more advanced technologies, its impact can still be felt in modern communication systems. The telegraph not only revolutionized news, business, and global relations but also introduced challenges that echo in today’s digital age. Though it may no longer be in widespread use, its legacy lives on in the instant nature of our world today.

 

Blog Post #4

    The prospect of using a pigeon to deliver our messages seems comical and absurd through our modern lens. At one point, however, this method was one of the most viable strategies in its day. The exact date of the first use of the carrier pigeon is unknown, the first instances were likely in ancient Egypt. According to the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, "Racing pigeons are descended from the Rock Dove, and the earliest recorded reference to the use of messenger pigeons comes from Ramses III (c1200 BC) when they were used to convey news between cities regarding the flood state of the Nile." This technology was revolutionary at its time because, it was the fastest way to convey a message over a large distance. 

    Moving along further in history, we get to the Roman empire. The carrier pigeon continued to be very useful. The typical way of getting a message to someone at the time was sending someone to hand-deliver it. The use of these pigeons meant that letters didn't have to be transported this way anymore. This advancement allowed for faster and more efficient communication, especially for military and governmental purposes. Roman leaders and generals used pigeons to relay important messages across their vast empire, allowing quick coordination of troops. This method was especially valuable in times of war, as it provided a reliable way to send urgent information without relying on slow-moving messengers on foot or horseback. The use of carrier pigeons in Rome laid the foundation for their continued importance in communication throughout history.

    So where did these pigeons go from there? These birds were very popular in the middle east. This is how the RPRA puts it: "Carrier pigeons were held in very high esteem in the Arab world, and were called "The Kings Angels." Clearly, the Arab people had a certain fondness for these feathered beings. Around this time, these pigeons were being used not only to deliver messages, but also to deliver goods, help with war efforts, and in religious ceremonies.  

    In a more modern world, we turn our attention toward western Europe (more specifically Britain and France). With the invention of the postal system, messages sent by pigeon became much more rare. Instead of being used to send messages, pigeons were made to race. There was an exception to the rule though: both world wars. According to our article, "The British royal family began to keep pigeons in the late nineteenth century, and pigeon racing became a sport of the masses in the early 1900’s. Pigeons were used extensively as message carriers by armies on both sides during World War 1  and World War 2." .These birds played a vital role in military communication, often delivering critical messages when other forms of communication failed. Their ability to fly long distances, navigate accurately, and avoid enemy interception made them invaluable assets on the battlefield. 

  While the days of relying on pigeons for communication are long behind us, their historical significance cannot be overlooked. These remarkable birds played a crucial role in shaping how messages were delivered across vast distances, from ancient Egypt to the battlefields of the world wars. Though they have since been replaced by modern technology, their legacy lives on in racing and historical accounts.