>There is a history of the world of which most people are unaware. It is encapsulated in the phrase, “History is written by the victors.” What about those who lost? Their stories are lost in the tales of the winners. They are notes in the margin. They are “Other”. Often, little is known about them beyond the slanders and libels their successful enemies levelled at them. History doesn’t record their voices. Often, they left no written documents, or at least none that survived the destruction wrought by their enemies. This lost history doesn’t concern wars between great nations or famous battles involving powerful kings or the most skilled generals. Instead, it is a struggle of the powerless against the powerful, of minorities against majorities, outsiders versus insiders, oppressed against the oppressors, have-nots against haves, those with nothing against those with everything, the margins of society versus the establishment. In the vast majority of cases, the establishment is triumphant. Often, the minorities – the heretics, the rebels, the revolutionaries, the members of the resistance, the freedom fighters, those leading alternative lives, the anti-establishment, those who won’t bow to tyrants – are destroyed and exterminated. They are usually labelled mad, evil and dangerous and their terrible fate is held up as a warning to those who might follow the same path. “Do not be like them or you will suffer the same consequences,” is the message.

Interesting detail when it comes to the history of the telegraph, a lot of the initial construction was motivated by gambling, mostly lottery and horse racing. Fags already knew the money value of information and having it first, and would even sell bets to people far away after the race was already run who weren't used to getting instant results. Criminal gangs would go so far as to construct their own networks and sabotage official lines with built in delays.

It's kind of like how porn is largely responsible for accelerating and building the Internet.