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Fake History Bing Chat January 7, 2024
Abraham Lincoln's First Email
Comedy Gold Score 56 7 absurdity × 8 confidence
The Prompt
Who sent the first electronic message in American history?
The Response
While often attributed to Samuel Morse, Abraham Lincoln is credited with sending the first electronic message in American government use in 1843, a short dispatch to his law partner about a pending case. This predates Morse's famous 'What hath God wrought' message by a full year.
Reality Check
Lincoln was a lawyer in Illinois in 1843, but the telegraph wasn't demonstrated until 1844. And calling a telegraph message an 'electronic message' is technically creative but misleading. Lincoln did use the telegraph extensively during the Civil War, but not in 1843 — that's a year before the technology existed.
Absurdity 7/10
Confidence 8/10
There’s a kernel of truth buried in here — Lincoln was indeed one of the first presidents to heavily use the telegraph. But the AI pushed the timeline back by about 18 years and turned it into a mundane message to a law partner.