Mass media

  • Period: 1440 BCE to 1445 BCE

    Invention of the Printing Press

    Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press, around 1440 in Mainz, Germany, allowing for mass production of printed materials and sparking a revolution in information sharing.
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    First American Newspaper

    Public Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestic was published in Boston by Benjamin Harris, marking the start of American newspaper publishing.
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    The Penny Press in the U.S

    The New York Sun began publishing under Benjamin Day, pioneering the "penny press" model, which made news accessible to the broader public and increased readership significantly.
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    First Commercial Radio Broadcast

    Station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, broadcast the U.S. presidential election results, marking the start of radio as a mass media platform.
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    First TV Commercial in the U.S

    NBC broadcast the first legal television commercial for Bulova watches, setting the stage for television as an advertising and entertainment medium.
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    Kennedy-Nixon Debates

    The first televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon aired, showcasing TV’s role in politics and influencing public opinion.
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    Publication of the Pentagon Papers

    The New York Times began publishing the Pentagon Papers, classified documents about U.S. involvement in Vietnam, solidifying the press's role as a government watchdog.
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    Launch of CNN

    Ted Turner launched CNN as the first 24-hour cable news network, changing the way people accessed news with round-the-clock coverage.
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    Birth of the World Wide Web

    Tim Berners-Lee made the World Wide Web publicly available, opening the internet to a broad audience and revolutionizing global access to information.
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    Facebook Launches

    Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, initially at Harvard University. It grew into a global social media platform, influencing news dissemination and public interaction with media.