-
100 BCE
Paper was invented in China
In 100 BC, China was the first to make paper and store historical documents and stories on these papers. Han Dynasty under emperor Ho-Ti was the first to start a paper making company in 105 AD. -
1455
The Printing Press
The printing press was invented in 1455 by a man called Johannes Gutenberg. The new ability to mass-produce books on any topic was revolutionary for the Europeans. The literacy rate for Europeans doubled every century. -
Photography
The first photograph made from a camera was in 1826, by a man called Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. This invention is known as one of the biggest for mass media alongside the printing press, as you can have actual visual records of people, and history can be stored with photos. -
The telegraph
The telegraph was developed in the 1830s by Samuel Morse with other inventors. The telegraph revolutionized long distance communication. It would work by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. You could now send a message almost immediately from Chicago to Miami. -
The telephone
Alexander Graham Bell with help by his partner Thomas Watson, came up with the idea of a simple receiver that could turn electricity to sound. On March 10th, 1876, Bell made the first telephone call, making a call to Watson, saying “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you”. -
The first public film
The first public film was released by the Lumiere brothers, Louis and Auguste. They developed a camera projector called the Cinematographe. The films was about everyday French life and charged admission for the first time. -
The first radio broadcast in the USA
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the first radio broadcast was made. The KDKA received its license in October 1920, and made the first broadcast on November 2nd, 1920. The broadcast was about the presidential election results as its first show, but did not broadcast daily until 1921. This is known as the birth of modern mass media. -
The Golden Age of films
The 1920s is known as the Golden Age of films, as Hollywood actors became national and international celebrities. In 1927, “The Jazz Singer” is the first “talkie”. Silent stars would become memories. -
The television
The television starts to enter homes in the 1950s, and commercials also starts to be seen regularly. The 1950s is known as the Golden Age of Television. It helped shape what people thought a perfect society would be. -
The first desktop computer
The first desktop computer was released by Apple in July 1976. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak hand built the 200 computers the company made, which sold for 666.66 dollars (Wozniak had a preference for repeating digits). -
The internet
The internet was mainly starting to be used in the 1990s, and global networks revolutionize how people access information. Media become more modern in the 2000s with websites such as YouTube, Google, and Facebook.
