Media literacy

A History of Mass Media

  • Jan 1, 1453

    The Gutenberg Bible

    The Gutenberg Bible
    The Gutenberg Bible was duplicated on the newly-invented printing press, which featured moveable type.
  • The Newspaper

    The Newspaper
    The first example of a newspaper dates back to 1620, although this form of media didn't reach a mass audience until the 19th Century.
  • The Phonograph

    The Phonograph
    Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. He also invented variations that used tape and disc formats.
  • Films

    Films
    "Roundhay Garden Scene" was the earliest film produced using a motion picture camera. It was made by Louis de Prince.
  • Radio

    Radio
    Guglielmo Merconi accomplished the first successful radio transmission in 1895. He was awarded the patent rights for radio the next year.
  • Television

    Television
    Televisions became commercially available in the 1920s, but the 1936 Olympics in Berlin afforded the opportunity for the games to be carried on live television to a wide audience. TVs became household items after WWII.
  • Mobile Phones

    Mobile Phones
    The mobile phone was officially invented in 1906 by Charles E. Alden. It was called a "vest pocket telephone." It was later used in cars and became widely popular in the 1990s.
  • The Internet

    The Internet
    While the development of the internet began much earlier, the internet was commercialized in 1995 when restrictions on commercial traffic were removed.
  • Social Networking Websites

    Social Networking Websites
    There have been numerous social networking sites that have come and gone, but the most successful by far has been Facebook. The site now has a billion users, or 37% of the world population.
  • The Diamond Sutra

    The Diamond Sutra
    One of the earliest printed books, the Diamond Sutra was printed 587 years before the printing press was invented.