Electrical telegraphs were point-to-point text messaging systems, primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecommunications system and the most widely used of a number of early messaging systems called telegraphs, that were devised to communicate text messages more quickly than physical transportation. Electrical telegraphy can be considered to be the first example of electrical engineering.
Cooke and Wheatstone's five-needle telegraph from 1837
Morse Telegraph
Hughes telegraph, an early (1855) teleprinter built by Siemens and Halske
Sömmering's electric telegraph in 1809
Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile devices, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible computer. Text messages may be sent over a cellular network or may also be sent via satellite or Internet connection.
The word "lol" sent via iMessage
A text message on an iPhone announcing an AMBER Alert
A multimedia message displayed on a mobile phone
SMS is used to send "welcome" messages to mobile phones roaming between countries. Here, T-Mobile welcomes a Proximus subscriber to the UK, and Base welcomes an Orange UK customer to Belgium.