The first stock ticker in New York

A few days ago, on November 15, we passed a rather random unobserved anniversary.

That was the 158th anniversary of the debut of the first stock ticker machine. It was unveiled, appropriately, in New York City, by its inventor Edward A. Calahan.

Calahan was building upon the now ubiquitous telegraph, combining it with a printer so that institutions that chose to get one could receive a steam of stock prices, transaction by transaction, from a particular exchange whose action they were following. The transactions would print out on a tape.

The machine with its click click clickity click became quite familiar very rapidly, and lasted a long time. I seem to remember that the father in the old Addams Family sitcom had one in the family abode. Also, the tape generated by such machines could then be cut up and thrown out of windows on festive occasions like so many streamers. Hence the expression "ticker tape parade".

So: congratulations Mr. Calahan for giving us a wonderful bit of Americana.

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