Today in Technology History
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June 21
Yesterday, we told the story of Samuel Morse and his patent for the telegraph and Morse code. We mentioned that many other people claimed to have invented the telegraph -- some with just cause. Today, however, we will discuss an individual whose claims in that area were baseless.
Charles Thomas Jackson was born on June 21, 1805. He came from an established Massachusetts family and had, by all accounts, a strong mind: he received a medical degree in 1829, and also studied chemistry and geology.
Unfortunately, Jackson had a great appetite for conflict, and he became involved in prominent disputes related to technology. He met Morse in 1832 -- just when Morse became interested in telegraphy. Jackson claimed that he taught Morse about the telegraph, and that the credit for its invention belonged to him. He sued Morse and, after several years, lost.
A similar incident occurred in the field of medicine. One of Jackson's medical students, a dentist named William Morton, discovered the basic principles of anesthesia and started anesthetizing patients with ether before surgery. Jackson, who had admittedly experimented with ether, falsely accused Morton of stealing his idea. That quarrel, too, went to court; Jackson lost again.
Jackson was involved in a third such battle with Christian Schönbein, the inventor of an explosive called guncotton.
Clearly, Jackson's grasp on reality was weak -- and by 1873, it was totally gone: after that year, he spent the rest of his life in an insane asylum. He died in 1880.
Related links:
Click here to read the Encyclopedia Britannica entry for Jackson.
Click here to see an image of Jackson's gravestone.
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