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Telegraph and the Transatlantic Cables
Invented by Claude Chappe, the telegraph was a machine that allowed people from different ends of the world to interact with eachother instantly using Morse Code, as opposed to relying only on letters that could take days to months. -
Printing Press
Originally designed by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450, the rotary printing press, which was faster and more efficient than the previous model, was invented by Richard March Hoe in 1843. The ability to print letters on both sides of a piece of paper allowed for the possibility of books, newspapers, and more. -
Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in the 1870's. This unique device allowed people to speak with someone over a long distance simply by dialing a number given to each individual. -
Newspaper and Typewriters
Very early traces of newspapers can be dated back to ancient Rome, where bulletins from the central government were distributed through the city. Since then, the newspaper had developed for most countries, and became the main source for the people's insight on day to day happenings. However, in the late 1800's the creation of these papers was very slow, until 1910, when a standardized version of a typewriter that greatly increased the production of the newspaper, widely increasing its reach. -
Billboard
In 1913, advertisers began filling open space on large boards to promote products and services. These boards were typically seen along highways and in cities, and were intended to grasp civilian attention. -
Radio
The radio became popular in the 1930's and quickly became an escape from the harsh realities of the Great Depression during that time. People could listen to baseball games as they happened, or tune into their favorite comedy or drama specials each week. Franklin Roosevelt would do his "fireside chats" to speak directly with the American public, providing a new sense of personal connection with the president that people had not had before. -
Television
The idea originally pioneered by Filo T. Farnsworth, early models of the television had been shown at World Fairs throughout the 1930's, then became popular between 1938-1940. On July 1st, 1942, CBS launched 15 hours of weekly programming, leading the way for TV's big boom combined with the end of WWII. Like radio, television allowed the public to escape the stresses of their everyday lives. -
World Wide Web
On Novembor 12, 1990, Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau invented the WorldWideWeb, which was a "web" of hypertext documents to be viewed by browsers. This was the initial launch of what we now know as the Internet. The internet allows users to search for information from millions of sources, shop and have items delivered online, and view news sources instantly.
