Claude Chappe

Claude Chappe was a French inventor who in 1792 demonstrated a practical semaphore system that eventually spanned all of France. This was the first practical telecommunications system of the industrial age, making Chappe the first telecom mogul with his mechanical internet.

Chappe was born in Brlon, Sarthe, France, the grandson of a French baron. He was raised for church service, but lost his sinecure during the French Revolution. He was educated at the Lyce Pierre Corneille in Rouen.

Source: Wikipedia