# History's first hacker?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-first-hacker/608956>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 9, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-first-hacker/608956 "2012-01-09T19:32:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-first-hacker/608956/1 "2012-01-09T19:32:53Z")

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1903 - [An anonymous sender breaks into the public demonstration of Marconi’s “secure” new radio communication technology](http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228440.700-dotdashdiss-the-gentleman-hackers-1903-lulz.html).

Likely the first case of electronic hacking/trolling. And the first time the “identifying a security vulnerability” excuse was used.

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**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-first-hacker/608956/2 "2012-01-13T14:25:58Z")

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In October, 1901, the American Wireless Telephone and Telegraph Company interfered with Marconi’s efforts to report the America’s Cup race: “Such was the situation when, to the surprise of the Associated Press operators on the Mindora down the bay, the Marconi receiving apparatus began to record such messages as ‘To hell with Marconi,’ and various profane and obscene phrases, which were found to emanate from the old schooner Maid of the Mist.”, according to [Wireless Telegraphy That Sends No Messages Except by Wire](http://earlyradiohistory.us/1901awt.htm), from the October 28, 1901 _New York Herald_.

Also, during the U.S. Civil war, it was common to tap into enemy telegraph lines.

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**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-first-hacker/608956/3 "2012-01-13T17:57:16Z")

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“I would remind Professor Fleming that abuse is no argument.”

This rebuttal from the antagonist Victorian hacker was evidently the last word as it was obvious he had claimed the high ground. A pity that such a statement would just get steamrollered and ignored in public debate today.