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Period: 4000 BCE to 3000 BCE
Papyrus
Developed in the earliest kingdoms of Ancient Egypt, Papyrus is among the earliest recognized predecessors of paper. Papyrus spread in use by other cultures throughout the centuries, and many of the oldest texts in the world are preserved in papyrus. Link text -
3200 BCE
Early "Writing"
While it is highly likely "writing" developed before 3200 BCE, the earliest writing samples we've found are from Ancient Sumerian culture. The creation of "writing" allowed for the dissemination of knowledge via the recording of ideas, allowing for humans to non-orally record history, scientific discovery, laws, and so on. Link text -
Period: 200 BCE to 225
First "Paper"
The process to make paper, the writing material made from plant fiber, was developed at some point in China between 200 BCE and 225 AD. Paper was easier to transport and less cumbersome to use than writing on bone, bamboo, or stone. Traditionally attributed to this man: Link text -
Jan 1, 1440
The Printing Press
Developed in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg, the printing press is more or less responsible for the spread of knowledge in the Renaissance. It allowed for much quicker creation of printed material than processes by hand, and allowed for the faster dissemination of knowledge than any other invention before it. -
Period: Dec 2, 1500 to Dec 3, 1565
Pencils are Invented
At some point in the 1500s, graphite was discovered and utilized to make writing instruments, called pencils. While ink has been around for Millenia, the pencil has numerous advantages and has become the standard writing tool in most classrooms due to the ease of fixing mistakes and being more portable than a pen and ink (later fixed by ballpoint pens). -
First Commercial Typewriter
The typewriter allowed the quick production of professional, readable paper, and quickly became a mainstay of any industry that relied on printing or writing. While typewriters had been invented and even patented before 1865, the Hansen Writing Ball deserves mention as the first commercially produced typewriter, whereas plenty of others were never mass-produced. Created by the Danish Rasmus Malling-Hansen in 1865, and then mass-produced by 1870. -
Word Processing Program
By the seventies, computers were developed enough to be able to feature text editors and word processors, though actual software programs didn't exist until the end of the decade. Word processors were the most popular programs used on computers until the internet became widespread, and allowed for more advanced applications than a typewriter and the ability to edit without wasting time and paper. -
Web-Based Word Processors/Google Docs
Google Docs and its cousins Google Sheets and Google Slides are all free web applications offered by Google. As long as one can access the internet, they have access to a simple word processor that also allow for collaboration across multiple users, and as such, it has gained much ground against Word and other software programs.
