Detail map of Paris, Île-de-France, France,Mitte, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany,Brussel, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium Overview map of Paris, Île-de-France, France,Mitte, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany,Brussel, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium

A: Paris, Île-de-France, France, B: Mitte, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, C: Brussel, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium

Paul Julius Reuter Founds the Reuters News Service

1850 to 1858
Paul Julius Reuter 1869

Portrait of Reuter in 1869 at age 53, by Rudolf Lehmann.

In 1850 Paul Julius Reuter (originally named Israel Beer Josaphat) set up an information service, later called Reuters, using a "fleet of 45 carrier pigeons", to deliver news and stock prices between Brussels and Aachen— terminal points of the German and French-Belgian telegraph lines. Reuter's pigeons carried the messages between Brussels and Aachen within two hours, beating the railroad by six hours.

One year later Reuter founded the Reuters news agency in London using telegraph lines, and a fleet of carrier pigeons that grew to exceed 200. Reuter opened an office in London’s financial center close to the main telegraph offices. He transmitted stock market quotations and news between London and Paris over the new Dover-Calais submarine telegraph cable, using his "telegraph expertise."

By 1858 Reuters opened offices all over Europe, following telegraph lines.

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