2 Mar 1791. Claude Chappe First Demonstrates the Semaphore in France, sending a message between Brûlon and Parcé, a distance of 90km.
A semaphore or ‘optical telegraph’ is a line of stations, typically towers, for the purpose of conveying textual information by means of visual signals. There are two main types of such systems; the semaphore telegraph which uses pivoted indicator arms and conveys information according to the direction the indicators point, and the shutter telegraph which uses panels that can be rotated to block or pass the light from the sky behind to convey information.