decimal system is in use in Egypt.
is invented by the Babylonians.
bound books are created in
use of the zero
(as an actual value, as opposed to a place-holder) appears in
printing press, with movable
metal type, is invented by Johannes Gutenberg.
term "electricity" is first
coined by English scientist William Gilbert.
electric telegraph is invented
by Samuel Morse.
telegraphic message is sent
by Samuel Morse on May 24th from Washington to Baltimore. The
message reads, “What hath God wrought?”
fax machine is patented by
Boolean Algebra is invented by
British Mathematician George Boole. By representing logical expressions
in a mathematical form, Boole paves the way for the development of the
Pony Express mail delivery
service begins in the United States.
commercial typewriter is
invented by Christopher Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samual Soule.
electric telephone is patented
by Alexander Graham Bell.
phonograph is patented by
automatic telephone exchange
(which in turn enables direct-dial telephones) is patented by Almon
telephone answering machines
magnetic recordings are
performed by Valdemar Poulsen, using magnetized steel tape as recording
medium, providing the foundation for mass data storage.
Quote of the Year: "Everything that can be
invented has already been invented."
–Charles H. Duell, director of the U.S. Patent
transatlantic radio signals
are sent by Guglielmo Marconi from Cornwall to Newfoundland.
The first U.S.
takes place on April 7, 1927, as the voice
and image of Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, is transmitted over
telephone lines from Washington, D.C., to New York City to a group of
newspaper reporters and dignitaries gathered in the auditorium of AT&T
Bell Telephone Laboratories.
Quote of the Year: “Today we have, in a
sense, the transmission of sight for the first time in the world’s
history. Human genius has now destroyed the impediment of distance in a
new respect, and in a manner hitherto unknown.”
–Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce
usable magnetic recording tape
is invented in Germany by researchers at BASF, using strips of
cellulose-acetylene (invented in 1932) instead of paper.
Shannon's Master's thesis describes how Boolean Logic (a system based on
the concepts of AND, OR and NOT) can be used to represent the functions of
switches in digital electronic circuit. The concept is the basis of all
digital electronic design
I: The Dark Ages: When Time Stood Still
II: Dawn of the Computer Age
III: Dawn of the Internet
IV: The Rise of (and Battle Over) the MP3
V: Life After Napster