Cyprus 17.5.1965 - 100th Anniversary of the founding of the ITU 17.5.1965

On 24 May 1844, Samuel Morse sent his first public message over a telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore, and through that simple act, ushered in the telecommunication age.

On 17 May 1865, after two and a half months of arduous negotiation, the first International Telegraph Convention was signed in Paris by the 20 founding members, and the International Telegraph Union (ITU) was established to facilitate subsequent amendments to this initial agreement. Today, some 145 years later, the reasons which led to the establishment of ITU still apply, and the fundamental objectives of the organization remain basically unchanged.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was founded in 1865 making it the oldest international organization in the UN family. ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services.

From its beginnings in 1865 up until the present ITU has produced a multitude of documents that chart the organization’s history and contribution to information and communication technology issues.

This FDC issued by Cyprus with the three stamps on it was given to me by Maria and were issued on 17.5.1965 to comemorate the 100^thAnniversary of the founding of the ITU.