First semaphore system

The semaphore telegraph was first developed into a practical system in 1793 by French engineer Claude Chappe. Chappe's semaphore had movable arms and handles and could be operated with 98 potential different positions. In a subsequently modified version, the main arm was provided with two mobile extensions and in this form it is said that 192 signals could be sent. In a report dated 2 July 1793, Chappe sent a "telegramme" – marking what was believed to be the first use of that word. Taken up by Napoleon as a faster means of communication over large distances, the Napoleonic semaphore was the first telegraph network, carrying messages across 19th-century France faster than horse dispatch riders.