Important Tech History: Telegraphy to Dylan

July 25 marks the 172nd anniversary of the first commercial use of the electric telegraph by inventors Sir William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone, who demonstrated its potential as an alarm system between the London neighborhoods of Euston and Camden Town. The Great Western Railway became the duo's first paying customer two years later, using the telegraph to connect a 13-mile stretch of railroad from Paddington Station to West Drayton.

The same say also is the 25th anniversary of Russian cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya's hike in outer space, making her the first woman ever to embark on a space walk. According to the Wikipedia entry, Savitskaya was appointed commander of an all-female crew of cosmonauts who were scheduled for a visit to space in commemoration of International Women's Day, but the plans ultimately were scrapped.

And 45 years ago today, in the explosive year of 1965, folk troubadour Robert Zimmerman — aka Bob Dylan — shocked and angered acoustic purists when he showed off his new affinity for current guitar technology. Never one to find a comfortable perch and simply please his fans, the accomplished musician already had released the acoustic-electric hybrid "Bringin' it All Back Home," so the electric portion of his show shouldn't have been such a big deal. But it stands as a pillar of modern music history nevertheless.

So if you enjoy communications technology, positive role models for women and hard-driving rock and roll, thank these history makers for making July 25 a special day.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.