What happened on January 11? First telegram was sent, smoking was deemed harmful
Communication is one of the major parameters of development in today's world and the first long-distance communication, a telegram, was first sent on this day in 1838. This was the first public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes. It was done at the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail. We don't telegram anymore but the Morse Code is still the coolest way to communicate, isn't it?
Smoking is harmful. We all know that now and all credit goes to US Surgeon General Luther Terry who brought out a report warning that smoking may be hazardous to one's health. The report came out on January 11, 1964. This was a time when cigarettes were not considered harmful at all and were more of a status good.
Amelia Earhart, one of the world's most celebrated aviators, flew solo from Hawaii to California for the first time on January 11, 1935. This distance is longer than that from the United States of America to Europe. More from the world of adventure, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary — who was the first to summit Mount Everest with Tibetan mountaineer Tenzing Norgay — died at age 88 on January 11, 2008.
