Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802 75) was a shoemaker's son whose fascination with physics led him to become one of the most celebrated scientists and inventors of his time. Apprenticed to his uncle, a musical instrument manufacturer, Wheatstone studied the physics of sound, publishing his first scientific paper in 1823. He was the chief developer of telegraphy, inventing increasingly advanced instruments for transmitting and receiving information. Telegraphy revolutionized communication in the Victorian era, eventually making almost instantaneous global communication possible. This collection of...