Kaj Emanuel Himberg (1844 – 1927) was a Finland-Swedish inventor, scientist, and engineer who made contributions to telegraphy, specifically the teleprinter.

Life and career

Himberg was born in Finström, Åland, in 1844 under the Russian Empire. Himberg attended the Imperial Alexander University in Finland (now University of Helsinki) in 1862, graduating in 1868 with a Candidate of Philosophy and Master of Arts. In 1870 Himberg became a professor at the Helsinki Technical Real School (now Helsinki University of Technology), where he would spend his time studying electromechanics and electrical engineering. In 1873, Himberg moved to Mariehamn, which had begun to grow significantly. In 1875, Himberg built his own six-unit code teleprinter, which was possibly one of the first to use a six-unit code, at least one year prior to Émile Baudot experimented with a six-bit code which he changed to a five-bit code. Himberg's teleprinter used a nonuniform 6-unit character frame during serial transmission, but was found to be to clunky and difficult to use, so no more than one was ever made.

In 1877, Himberg was hired by the The Great Northern Telegraph Company to help design the first telegraph cable on the Åland Islands, which would connect Mariehamn to Nystad. In 1892, Himberg would install the first telephone in Mariehamn, charging an annual rate of 15 to 30 Finnish markka. And in 1906, Himberg assisted the Russian military in building a telegraph station on Prästö island.

Himberg passed away in 1927 at the age of 83, in Mariehamn, Åland.