Pavel Schilling
Encyclopedia
Baron Pavel L'vovitch Schilling, also known as Paul Schilling (b. ca. 1780, Reval –now, Tallinn
, Estonia – d. St. Petersburg, Russia, 25 July 1837), was a diplomat
of Baltic German
origin employed in the service of Russia in Germany, and who built a pioneering electrical telegraph
. It consisted of a single needle system
which used a telegraph code
to indicate the characters
in a message.
Schilling's first electromagnetic telegraph cable line
was set up in his apartment in St Petersburg. In 1832, Schilling demonstrated the long-distance transmission
of signals by positioning two telegraphs of his invention—his device was said to be the first electromagnetic telegraph in the world—in two different rooms of his apartment. Schilling was the first to put into practice the idea of a binary
system of signal transmissions
. Schilling's contributions to electrical telegraphy were named an IEEE Milestone in 2009.
The most important exhibit in the telegraph collection of the A.S. Popov Central Museum Of Communications
is reputed to be Shilling's telegraph of 1832. A demonstration device was set up in 1835 on an underground line around the Russian Admiralty
building. An operational line between Kronstadt
and the Peterhof Palace
was planned but cancelled after Schilling's death.
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia – d. St. Petersburg, Russia, 25 July 1837), was a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
of Baltic German
Baltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
origin employed in the service of Russia in Germany, and who built a pioneering electrical telegraph
Electrical telegraph
An electrical telegraph is a telegraph that uses electrical signals, usually conveyed via telecommunication lines or radio. The electromagnetic telegraph is a device for human-to-human transmission of coded text messages....
. It consisted of a single needle system
Measuring instrument
In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as units, and the process of measurement gives a number relating the item...
which used a telegraph code
Telegraph code
A telegraph code is a character encoding used to transmit information through telegraphy machines. The most famous such code is Morse code.-Manual telegraph codes:Morse code can be transmitted and received with very primitive equipment....
to indicate the characters
Character (computing)
In computer and machine-based telecommunications terminology, a character is a unit of information that roughly corresponds to a grapheme, grapheme-like unit, or symbol, such as in an alphabet or syllabary in the written form of a natural language....
in a message.
Schilling's first electromagnetic telegraph cable line
Transmission line
In communications and electronic engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable designed to carry alternating current of radio frequency, that is, currents with a frequency high enough that its wave nature must be taken into account...
was set up in his apartment in St Petersburg. In 1832, Schilling demonstrated the long-distance transmission
Transmission (telecommunications)
Transmission, in telecommunications, is the process of sending, propagating and receiving an analogue or digital information signal over a physical point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission medium, either wired, optical fiber or wireless...
of signals by positioning two telegraphs of his invention—his device was said to be the first electromagnetic telegraph in the world—in two different rooms of his apartment. Schilling was the first to put into practice the idea of a binary
Binary numeral system
The binary numeral system, or base-2 number system, represents numeric values using two symbols, 0 and 1. More specifically, the usual base-2 system is a positional notation with a radix of 2...
system of signal transmissions
Transmission (telecommunications)
Transmission, in telecommunications, is the process of sending, propagating and receiving an analogue or digital information signal over a physical point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission medium, either wired, optical fiber or wireless...
. Schilling's contributions to electrical telegraphy were named an IEEE Milestone in 2009.
The most important exhibit in the telegraph collection of the A.S. Popov Central Museum Of Communications
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
is reputed to be Shilling's telegraph of 1832. A demonstration device was set up in 1835 on an underground line around the Russian Admiralty
Russian Admiralty
Admiralty Board was a supreme body for the administration of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Russian Empire, established by Peter the Great on December 12, 1718, and headquartered in the Admiralty building, Saint Petersburg....
building. An operational line between Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
and the Peterhof Palace
Peterhof Palace
The Peterhof Palace in Russian, so German is transliterated as "Петергoф" Petergof into Russian) for "Peter's Court") is actually a series of palaces and gardens located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These Palaces and gardens are sometimes referred as the...
was planned but cancelled after Schilling's death.