-
The Greeks had the first messenger pigeon deliver results of the first Olympiad.
-
The first legitimate postal service likely originated in ancient Persia around 550 BC. However, historians feel that in some ways it wasn’t a true postal service because it was used primarily for intelligence gathering.
-
The Greeks established the first library.
-
Human messengers on foot or horseback common in Egypt and China with messenger relay stations were built.
-
Romans established the first postal service in the western world. While it’s considered to be the first well-documented mail delivery system, others in India, China had already long been in place
-
The Chinese were the first to invent paper and papermaking.
-
Johannes Gutenberg developed the printing press. This was a practical system for printing books in a way that was efficient.
-
Johann Carolus printed the world's first newspaper.
-
Joseph Henry and Edward Davey demonstrated electromagnetic relay. A weak electrical signal was amplified and transmitted across a long distance. People could now send messages in seconds, which could have taken days before.
-
Innocenzo Manzetti began exploring the concept of a "speaking telegraph."
-
Alexander Graham Bell was granted the patent for "Improvements in Telegraphy". This laid out the underlying technology for electromagnetic telephones.
-
Valdemar Poulsen creates the answering machine.